Mars plans to limit chocolate bars to 250 calories

Mars Inc, the maker of Snickers and Twix candy bars, will stop selling chocolate products with more than 250 calories in them by the end of next year, a spokeswoman said on Wednesday. The company, which also makes M&Ms and Skittles candies and Juicy Fruit chewing gum, said the goal is part of an ongoing effort to improve the nutritional value of its products and to sell them in a responsible way. In 2007, the privately held, McLean, Virginia-based company said it would stop buying advertising time or space if more than a quarter of the audience was likely to be under 12 years old. Spokeswoman Marlene Machut said the plan to stop shipping any chocolate product that exceeded 250 calories per portion by the end of 2013 -- a target first announced last fall -- was part of Mars' "broad-based commitment to health and nutrition."