Mars, Incorporated, the snack, food,= and pet care products giant behind brands like M&M'S, CHEEZ-IT, Ben's Original, PEDIGREE and Royal Canin, announced plans to invest an estimated $1.4 billion into its U.S. manufacturing and operations footprint in 2027.
As part of the $1.4 billion commitment, early next year, Mars will invest more than $34 million to open four new Mars Veterinary Health hospitals. Three new BluePearl Pet Hospitals in Ellicott City, MD, and Austin and Katy, TX, plus a Banfield Pet Hospital in Wilmington, NC will expand access to veterinary care across the U.S. The facilities will provide access to advanced emergency and specialty veterinary care, bring innovative medical capabilities to growing communities, and support the development of highly skilled veterinary professionals. The new pet hospitals will unlock up to 195 new jobs.
Some of the company's recent 2026 investments include:
- The Trü Frü brand is expanding operations in Salt Lake City, UT, where it has been headquartered since 2025. Mars invested $60 million to build two dedicated manufacturing lines for Trü Frü within the company's Salt Lake City factory, a $240 million site that opened last year to produce Nature's Bakery products. In addition to the factory's ability to produce more than 1 billion Nature's Bakery snack bars each year, the site will now have the capacity to produce 17 million Trü Frü frozen products annually.
- Mars Waco, TX facility is commemorating 50 years of operations this month. With $165 million invested in the site since 2024, recent capital projects are heavily focused on enhancing energy efficiency and operational excellence. The facility manufactures over 56 billion pieces of SNICKERS, STARBURST, and SKITTLES candies each year, and leads cutting-edge recipe development and format innovation for the brands. The facility recently powered the rollout of the all-new SNICKERS Xtreme Almond bar and STARBURST Sour innovations.
- A $49 million investment in Mars wet pet food facility in Columbus, OH, is bringing the production of its rapidly growing TEMPTATIONS Lickable Treats to the U.S. The investment introduces technology advancements including modern mixing and filling capabilities and will create capacity to produce over 400 million Lickable Treat pouches annually. Mars has invested a total of $162 million into the site since 2022.
Globally headquartered in the U.S., Mars employs 80,000 U.S. employees who support more than 60 factories, research labs and offices, as well as more than 2,000 veterinary clinics and hospitals across the country. With 15 new facilities added in the last year through the acquisition of Kellanova, Mars will continue to make strategic manufacturing investments to modernize its full portfolio of U.S. facilities.
