Chocolate maker Mars Wrigley’s India unit has said its Skittles chocolate brand being sold in India complies with local regulations, days after the global chocolate giant was sued in the US for allegedly using “harmful toxins in Skittles unfit for consumption”.
A spokesperson for Mars Wrigley India said: “While we do not comment on pending litigation, our use of titanium dioxide complies with FDA and local regulations.” The company, which makes Galaxy, Snickers, Twix and Bounty in the country, said its use of ingredients is “as per defined limits.”
Mars is facing a lawsuit in the US which claims that its button-shaped Skittles candies contain “toxic levels of titanium dioxide and are unfit for human consumption”.
According to the lawsuit, “the labelling, packaging, and marketing materials of the products have false and misleading claims that, among other things, the products are safe for human consumption.”Mars Wrigley launched Skittles in India in 2019, to expand the bite-sized category, and set up competition with Cadbury Gems from Mondelez in the country-a priority market identified by the US chocolate maker. The company has been playing on affordable packs and localizing its brands with Indianized flavours.