Global Confectionery Field Guide

What's in a Mars Bar Around the World?

The same wrapper, a different recipe in every country. This matrix compares the published ingredient lists of the Mars bar across seven markets — with every cell traced to a source.

Verified June 2026 • Read the wrapper for the final word — recipes change

● Listed explicitly on the label ● Present but grouped under a generic term × Not listed ? Not documented in reviewed sources

Swipe the table sideways to see every column →

Ingredient	🇬🇧 UK & Ireland	🇩🇪 Germany	🇫🇷 France	🇨🇦 Canada	🇦🇺 Australia / NZ	🇮🇳 India	🇺🇸 USA*
Sugars & syrups
Sugar	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
Glucose syrup incl. "liquid glucose"	●	●	●	×	●	●	?
Corn syrup	×	×	×	●	×	×	?
Barley malt extract	●	●	●	●	●	●	?
Milk components
Milk solids / ingredients generic, not broken down	×	×	×	●	●	●	●
Skimmed milk powder	●	●	●	×	●	●	?
Whole milk powder	×	●	●	×	●	●	?
Milk fat / butterfat	●	●	●	●	●	●	?
Lactose / milk sugar	●	●	●	●	●	●	?
Whey powder / permeate	●	●	●	●	●	●	?
Milk protein	●	●	×	●	●	●	?
Cocoa
Cocoa butter	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
Cocoa mass	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
Cocoa powder / fat-reduced cocoa	●	●	●	●	●	●	?
Fats & oils
Sunflower oil	●	●	●	×	●	●	?
Palm fat / oil incl. "modified palm oil"	●	●	●	●	●	●	?
Other vegetable oil / fat generic	×	×	×	×	●	×	?
Other ingredients
Emulsifier: soy lecithin E322 in India	●	●	●	●	●	●	?
Salt	●	●	●	●	●	●	?
Egg white powder	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
Starch	×	×	●	×	×	×	×
Flavour — natural vanilla	●	●	×	×	×	×	?
Flavour — artificial / unspecified	×	×	×	●	●	×	?
The centre — what defines the bar
Nougat	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
Caramel	●	●	●	●	●	●	×
Toasted almonds	×	×	×	×	×	×	●

So which is the least healthy?

Per 100 g they're almost identical — every Mars bar lands around 450–475 kcal, 57–60 g sugar and 8–12 g saturated fat. What really changes is bar size, so the most sugar & calories in a single serving comes down to whoever sells the biggest bar.

Sugar per bar — what you actually eat

🇨🇦 Canada 52 g bar • 240 kcal

31 g Most per serving

🇬🇧 UK & Ireland 51 g bar • ~229 kcal

~30 g

🇺🇸 USA Snickers Almond, 50 g • ~240 kcal

~27 g

🇦🇺 Australia / NZ 47 g bar • ~214 kcal

~27 g Lightest serving

Per 100 g, gram-for-gram: ~450–475 kcalSugar ~57–60 gSaturated fat ~8–12 gThe US almond bar carries the most total fat (~22 g) — but largely unsaturated almond fat.

Verdict: by sugar & calories in one bar, Canada's 52 g bar is the least healthy — simply because it's the biggest. Gram-for-gram they're effectively tied: there's no "healthy" Mars bar anywhere. Germany, France and the Indian import share the 51 g / UK nutrition profile.

🇺🇸 The USA is the odd one out

The American "Mars" bar has no caramel — it's nougat + toasted almonds in milk chocolate. Discontinued in 2002, succeeded by Snickers Almond, and revived as the "original American recipe" by Ethel M (a Mars subsidiary). The U.S. equivalent of the global caramel-nougat Mars is the Milky Way.

🇬🇧 UK vs. 🇩🇪 Continental Europe

The UK bar uses skimmed milk powder; Germany and France add whole milk powder too. France is the only market whose published list includes starch and omits added vanilla.

🇨🇦 Canada goes its own way

Canada is the only market using corn syrup instead of glucose syrup, modified palm oil, and artificial flavour — and it's marketed as peanut-free.

🇦🇺 / 🇮🇳 Generic labelling

Australia/NZ and India lean on umbrella terms — "milk solids," "vegetable oil," "cocoa solids" — so individual components can't be split out. India's label uses the E-number 322 for soy lecithin.

Sources

Ingredient formulations, allergen statements and product sizes change over time and between manufacturing facilities. This infographic reflects published lists reviewed in June 2026 and is for general interest only. For allergy, dietary or regulatory decisions, always read the wrapper of the specific product in your hand.