Harrison Keely / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 4.0
MCLEAN, Va. – Mars plans to invest an estimated $1.4 billion in its U.S. manufacturing and operations in 2027, the largest amount the privately held maker of M&M’s, Snickers and Pedigree says it has committed in a single year.
The plan announced Tuesday covers a business that spans candy and snacks, food, pet nutrition and veterinary care. It is planned spending for next year, not money already invested.
Within the 2027 total, Mars plans more than $34 million for four new veterinary hospitals early next year: BluePearl hospitals in Ellicott City, Maryland, and Austin and Katy, Texas, plus a Banfield hospital in Wilmington, North Carolina. The company said those hospitals could create up to 195 jobs. That is the jobs figure for the hospital projects, not a total for the full $1.4 billion plan.
Mars said it has invested more than $9 billion in domestic operations since 2017. Chief Financial Officer Claus Aagaard said 94% of Mars products sold in the United States are made in the country.
The new commitment is for a different period than the $2 billion U.S. investment plan through the end of 2026 that Mars announced in July 2025. Tuesday’s announcement describes the company’s planned investment for 2027.
The company also outlined earlier projects as background to its expansion. In Salt Lake City, Mars invested $60 million in two Trü Frü manufacturing lines inside its Nature’s Bakery factory. It said the new lines will have capacity for 17 million frozen Trü Frü products a year.
At Waco, Texas, where the company is marking 50 years of operations, Mars said it has invested $165 million since 2024, with recent projects focused on energy efficiency and operations. The plant makes Snickers, Starburst and Skittles.
A separate $49 million investment at its Columbus, Ohio, wet pet-food factory is bringing Temptations Lickable Treats production to the United States, with planned capacity of more than 400 million pouches a year. These earlier projects are not presented as a newly announced breakdown of the 2027 budget.
Mars said it employs 80,000 people in the United States and operates more than 60 factories, research labs and offices, as well as more than 2,000 veterinary clinics and hospitals. The company said its Kellanova acquisition added 15 facilities in the past year.
For communities and suppliers, the announcement signals planned spending on production capacity, facilities and veterinary services. Mars did not provide a complete project-by-project allocation or an overall jobs target for the $1.4 billion commitment.
JBizNews Desk | Business
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