The food company Mars has appointed its first chief health and wellbeing officer as part of a strategy to improve its health image.
Debra Sandler moves from her role as acting president, Mars Chocolate North America, to take on her new position at the company behind the chocolate brands Mars, Milky Way and Twix.
According to a statement from Mars, the creation of the role is “a reflection of the strategic priority that health and wellbeing represents” for the company, which has traditionally been criticised for its influence on unhealthy diets.
Recent efforts to improve its image in the area include improved nutritional labelling on its products as well as a 250 calorie cap on single portions of its chocolates.
Sandler has direct experience in healthcare, spending 10 years at Johnson & Johnson (J&J) as worldwide president of McNeil Nutritionals. She was also briefly a franchise leader for several of J&J’s women’s health products.