Maltesers

Maltesers are a British confectionery product manufactured by Mars, Incorporated. First sold in the UK in 1937, they were originally aimed at women. They have since been sold in Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and, since 2017, the US. The slogan is "The lighter way to enjoy chocolate".[1]

"Malteser" redirects here. For the relief agency, see Malteser International. For the people of Malta, see Maltese people.

Maltesers
Product typeConfectionery
OwnerMars, Incorporated
CountryUnited Kingdom
Introduced1937 (1937)

Maltesers consist of a spheroid malted milk centre surrounded by milk chocolate. Maltesers are sold in a variety of packaging, including plastic bags (ranging in size from small 'fun-size' upwards), larger cardboard boxes and tubes, and plastic buckets (ranging in size from medium to very large). They also have medium-sized "teasers" in Celebrations boxes. Maltesers are also one of the types of chocolate included in Mars's Revels assortment.

A YouGov poll conducted between July and October 2020 saw them ranked the most popular confectionery in the UK.[2]

History

Maltesers were created by the American Forrest Mars Sr. in England in 1936, and first sold in 1937. They were originally described as "energy balls" and aimed at slimming women.[3]

The current Maltesers' slogan is "The lighter way to enjoy chocolate".[1] Earlier slogans have included: "The chocolates with the less fattening centre", "No ordinary chocolate" and "Nothing pleases like Maltesers". In the 1930s, advertisements claimed that the Maltesers malted milk centre is one-seventh as fattening as ordinary chocolate centres; this led marketers to claim it was beneficial for weight loss.[4]

In Australia, Mars signed a production deal with MacRobertson's in 1954, but then switched to Cadbury in 1963.[5]

In 2011, the product gained Fairtrade accreditation in the UK and Ireland by sourcing all their cocoa and sugar under Fairtrade Terms.[6] In 2016, Maltesers’ commercials in the UK began featuring disabled actors (including The Inbetweeners actress Storme Toolis) which have been highly successful for the brand.[7] Celebrating universally awkward situations, the adverts were inspired by real-life stories from disabled people.[7]

In January 2017, Maltesers officially became available in the United States for the first time.[8][9] The factory in Newmarket, Ontario, Canada produces the Maltesers for the North American market; it is expected the factory exports about 80 percent of its production to the United States.[10]

Ingredients
Tray of Maltesers

In the United Kingdom and Ireland, the ingredients are: sugar, skimmed milk powder, cocoa butter, glucose syrup, barley malt extract, cocoa mass, palm fat, lactose, demineralised whey powder, milk fat, wheat flour, emulsifiers (e442, soya lecithin, e492), palm oil, raising agents (e500, e501, e341), salt, gelling agent (pectin), flavouring.[11]

In Canada, the ingredients are: sugar, modified milk ingredients, malted milk powder (malted barley, corn syrup, modified milk ingredients, wheat flour, modified and hydrogenated palm oil, sugar, wheat gluten, sodium bicarbonate, potassium bicarbonate, salt), cocoa butter, cocoa mass, corn syrup, palm and palm kernel oil, lactose, malted barley extract, soy lecithin, ammonium salt of phosphorylated glyceride, pectin, sorbitan tristearate, artificial flavour.

In Australia and New Zealand, the ingredients are: sugar, milk solids, cocoa butter, glucose syrup (sources include wheat), barley malt extract, cocoa mass, vegetable fat, emulsifiers (soy lecithin, 492), wheat gluten, raising agents (501, 500), salt, natural flavour (vanilla extract), pectin.[12]

In the United States, the ingredients are: sugar, skim milk, cocoa butter, barley malt extract, chocolate, glucose syrup, whey permeate, fractionated palm oil, whey, corn syrup, milkfat, less than 2% – palm oil, palm kernel oil, wheat flour, soy lecithin, sorbitan tristearate (emulsifier), leavening (potassium bicarbonate, monocalcium orthophosphate, baking soda), wheat gluten, lactose, pectin, salt, flavor.

Varieties
  • "White Maltesers", Maltesers made with a white chocolate coating.
  • "Dark Maltesers", Maltesers made with a dark chocolate coating.[13]
  • "Mint Maltesers", Maltesers made with a mint centre and milk chocolate coating.
  • "MaltEaster bunnies", (a bunny made out of Malteser) available over the Easter period each year and have been since Easter 2010. Mini versions were also available in 2015. White mini bunnies were introduced in 2021.
  • "Maltesers Teaser", chocolate coated miniature balls in a bar format, available since March 26, 2013.[14]
  • "Maltesers Teasers" chocolate spread.
  • Maltesers ''Merryteaser Reindeer''. Standard and miniature reindeer shaped chocolate-covered honeycomb, available in the run up to Christmas.
  • Maltesers Malty Hot Chocolate.
  • "Maltesers Buttons", button-shaped Maltesers which features the signature Mars chocolate with tiny malt balls within. Launched in 2018.[15]
  • "Maltesers Truffles". Launched in 2018.[15]
  • "Honeycomb Maltesers"[16]
  • "Raspberry Maltesers"[17]

Similar products
  • Whoppers, chocolate-flavour coated malted milk balls produced by The Hershey Company in the United States.
  • "Mighty Malts", malted milk balls manufactured by Necco.
  • "Mylikes", (which use cocoa butter replacer instead of cocoa) Chinese sweets made by Liang Feng Food Company, which started making chocolates in 1982.
  • Ovalteenies, circular discs of compressed Ovaltine, malted milk and chocolate.
  • "Whispers" malted milk chocolate balls manufactured by Cadbury.

References
  1. "#Maltesergate: First Toblerones shrink, now packs of Maltesers are lighter". The Telegraph. Retrieved August 16, 2019.
  2. "The most famous confectionaries in the UK". YouGov. Retrieved August 16, 2019.
  3. Damian Corless, You'll Ruin Your Dinner: Sweet Memories from Irish Childhood, Publisher Hachette UK, 2011, ISBN 1444726048, 9781444726046, 256 pages,
  4. "TV advertising – Maltesers Facts". Retrieved June 7, 2015.
  5. Greg Thain; John Bradley (July 11, 2014). FMCG: The Power of Fast-Moving Consumer Goods. First Edition Design Pub. pp. 278–. ISBN 978-1-62287-647-1.
  6. "Mars and Fairtrade International announce collaboration". Mars.com. September 2011. Retrieved February 8, 2013.
  7. "Maltesers' ads featuring disabled actors prove to be 'most successful' advert for the brand in 10 years". The Drum. Retrieved August 16, 2019.
  8. "Maltesers Coming To US in 2017" from Brand Eating (October 16, 2017)
  9. PR Newswire (March 21, 2017). "The U.K.'s #1 Bite-Size Candies - MALTESERS® - Are Coming To America". Yahoo Finance. Retrieved March 22, 2017.
  10. Teresa Latchford (March 20, 2017). "Newmarket MARS factory first in North America to produce Maltesers". YorkRegion. Retrieved March 22, 2017.
  11. "Nutrition - Maltesers". maltesers.co.uk. Archived from the original on July 12, 2017. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
  12. "MARS Making Chocolate Better | Maltesers Chocolates 40g". www.marschocolate.com.au. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
  13. “NEWS: Dark Maltesers now available in Australia”. Frugal Feeds. Retrieved August 16, 2019
  14. "UK: Mars launches Maltesers Teasers block bar". just-food.com.
  15. "Maltesers Officially Announces Launch Of Buttons Following Months Of Rumours". The Independent. Retrieved August 16, 2019.
  17. "Important: Raspberry Maltesers have hit Aussie shelves". Fashion Journal. August 15, 2018.
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