Mars, Incorporated is driven by the belief that the world we want tomorrow starts with how we do business today. As an approximately $55bn family-owned business, our diverse and expanding portfolio of leading pet care products and veterinary services support pets all around the world and our quality snacking and food products delight millions of people every day. We produce some of the world’s best-loved brands including ROYAL CANIN®, PEDIGREE®, WHISKAS®, CESAR®, DOVE®, EXTRA®, M&M’S®, SNICKERS® and BEN’S ORIGINAL™. Our international networks of pet hospitals, including BANFIELD™, BLUEPEARL™, VCA™ and ANICURA™ span preventive, general, specialty, and emergency veterinary care, and our global veterinary diagnostics business ANTECH® offers breakthrough capabilities in pet diagnostics. The Mars Five Principles—Quality, Responsibility, Mutuality, Efficiency and Freedom—inspire our 150,000 Associates to act every day to help create a better world for people, pets and the planet.
Why GDST?
Mars formally joined in December of 2024. The partnership was publicly announced in June 2025.
Mars chose to join the GDST to underscore our dedication to transparency and traceability, further aligning with global standards demonstrating to customers that seafood products are fully traceable, but also to enhance Mars’ business and supply chain decision-making, supporting the implementation of CSR policies, risk mitigation and business resilience.
Mars has become the first pet food company in the world to commit to meeting the GDST Standard and implement digital interoperable traceability, which in turn sets the standard for the pet food industry.
Why Digital Seafood Traceability Matters
Mars is dedicated to advancing responsible sourcing. By enhancing sustainability and traceability in our seafood supply chains, we can work with suppliers to drive best practices and enhance product traceability for our pet food brands such as SHEBA®, WHISKAS® and ROYAL CANIN®.
How GDST helps to Address Challenges
Mars operates on a global scale with many suppliers in all regions of the world. This scale creates complexities and means that assessing our supply chains takes time. GDST provides the guidance, tools and serves as a vital platform, working to develop standards that allow for interoperability across supply chains. By following the GDST we have the confidence that we are using common language and driving change as an industry.
Impact of GDST on the Business
The GDST has guided our business to collect relevant data from across our seafood supply chain, helping us understand and adopt best practice in traceability and transparency for our seafood supply chain.
Long-Term Goals
This collaboration reflects a proactive, actionable approach to supply chain transparency. As the first pet food business to work with GDST, we are aiming to inspire action in the industry and drive further positive progress on traceability standards.
Advice for Potential GDST Partners
Traceability of supply chains is likely to become not only a business imperative, but also a springboard to enhancing company reputation as preferred partners and suppliers.
You can learn more about Mars Petcare at: Mars Petcare Website
Explore the benefits of GDST partnership at: GDST Get Involved