Do we like them?

Do we like Masterfoods?

Sauces, seasonings and food brand (Australia/NZ and UK) that Mars bought in 1967; Mars Inc. is based in the US.

Our score: 5 out of 10. Mixed. We found no recent scandal tied to Masterfoods itself, but it sits inside Mars, whose cocoa supply chain has faced child labour allegations.

Masterfoods started as an Australian business. Mars bought the name in 1967 and Mars Food Australia was created as part of that purchase. So when we ask about Masterfoods, we're really asking about Mars.

The old dramas are mostly small. In the UK, Masterfoods defended using animal-derived whey ingredients in Mars Bar and Maltesers. The Vegetarian Society objected. A Birmingham woman also reported a light bulb in a Mars Bar, and the case went to Trading Standards. The sources are old and undated.

The bigger issue is the parent company. Mars has responded to child labour allegations in cocoa. It points to its Protecting Children Action Plan and a requirement that Ghana cocoa suppliers follow its Supplier Code of Conduct. They must also set up a Child Labor and Remediation System by 2025. That source mentions no fine.

Mars also closed its roughly $36bn Kellanova purchase in December 2025. The EU announced a competition investigation into it in June 2025. That's about market power, not workers. Overall we found nothing recent that's bad for Masterfoods itself, and nothing that's clearly good. That's why it gets a middling score.