Head to realchocolate.com starting at 9 a.m. every Friday through September for the Mars Real Chocolate Relief Act.
On Free Chocolate Fridays, the first 250,000 people who register will get a coupon for a free, full-size Mars chocolate bar.
APOLOGIES IN ADVANCE if the site is down; it's getting a lot of interest, as you might imagine. And before you get excited for your afternoon snack, remember it will take at least six weeks to mail the coupon to you. If you just can't wait, there's also a coupon in print editions of today's USA Today.
The promotion is an attention-grabbing way for Mars to promote its commitment to real chocolate, using only 100 percent cocoa butter, in its U.S. products.
Why is this controversial?
The federal Food and Drug Administration definition says chocolate is made with cocoa butter, although some candy companies have been lobbying to change that definition. Manufacturers such as Hershey's have been replacing cocoa butter with cheaper palm or safflower oils and getting around the definition by calling their products "chocolatey" or "chocolate candy" instead.
Mars committed in 2007 to using only cocoa butter in its chocolate products. From the Mars Real Chocolate press release:
(photo: Associated Press)
