Taste Testings: Consumer Product Reviews

M&M’s Pretzel Chocolate Candies from Mars Canada Inc. offer consumers the ultimate treat for their sweet and salty cravings. The candies combine the milk chocolate of an M&M’s chocolate candy with a round, salty nugget of pretzel in the middle. The treats contain 150 calories per serving, and 30-per-cent less fat than other leading chocolate snacks. M&M’s Pretzel Chocolate Candies are available in 162-g stand-up pouches, 92-g packs and 32-g single packages, selling for a suggested retail price of $4.79, $3.59 and $1.49 respectively.

Male, 40-something, tradeshow events co-ordinator
“I like pretzels and I like M&M’s so finding a product that mixed the two together has indeed been a treat. Even with the pretzel imbedded within the hard-shelled candy, the sweetness of the M&M still comes through loud and clear. I was impressed with the clear nutritional information placed on the reverse of the package – clear and easy to understand. The calorie count of 150 g per pack was also a pleasant surprise given that many other candy chocolates are much higher. All in all, it’s a winner in my books.”

Female, 10
“These candies are very big! They’re very good and chocolaty. It doesn’t taste like there’s pretzels in here – they taste like Maltesers. They taste good with milk.”

Male, 48, sales
“These look interesting. If I was looking for a candy snack I would probably buy it based on the nutritional information on the packaging. I also like the size of the candies – they look very appealing. If I didn’t read the package carefully I don’t think I would have guessed by the taste that these are pretzels, just that there’s something crunchy inside. Overall they’re are a good treat without over-indulging.”

Female, 12
“There’s not much in here, but they are good and crunchy. They’re kind of dry; they make you thirsty.”

Female, 39, logistics solutions director
“This new candy is absolutely delicious. At first I was rather apprehensive about how M&M could pull off a pretzel version of their product, but the candy-coated chocolate with the salty pretzel filling is a great mix. The packaging isn’t very clear that it’s a new pretzel version. But besides that, as a candy treat that’s only 150 calories, I think this will sell rather well with regular consumers and the calorie counters. Once I opened the package, the salty sweet treats were gone in seconds.”

Male, three-and-a-half
“I like them. Love them. I like them because they’re chocolate. I like them crunchy. I like them because they’re yummy.”

Female, 30-something, teacher
“I was a little skeptical at first. I’m not a huge fan of pretzels. But these are really good. They’re crispy and flavourful – and very close to the original M&M’s I’m used to. You can taste the salt and with the candy and chocolate, it works really well. I have to say they even feel lighter tasting. It’s funny how they taste new but seem familiar at the same time. What a great new movie snack. The calorie count is right on the package, which I appreciate, and it’s not all that bad either. I’d buy these.”

Male, 20-something, online editor
“These were really good. The package didn’t last more than a few seconds. I thought they’d be kind of like jumbo pretzels dipped in chocolate, but these were crunchy. Awesome.”