Mars: Hiring, Background Check & Employment Verification FAQs

Mars, Incorporated was founded on June 23, 1911, and is headquartered in McLean, Virginia, in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. The business has remained entirely owned by the Mars family across more than a century and five generations, which makes it one of the largest privately held companies in the United States. It has never been publicly traded, and it refers to its employees worldwide as Associates rather than staff.

The company describes itself as a $65 billion-plus family-owned business following its acquisition of Kellanova, which closed in December 2025 and brought Pringles, Cheez-It, Pop-Tarts, RXBAR, Rice Krispies Treats, and Kellogg's international cereal brands into the portfolio. Mars states that its Five Principles of Quality, Responsibility, Mutuality, Efficiency, and Freedom guide more than 170,000 Associates across the business.

Mars is organized around three main areas. Mars Petcare covers pet nutrition brands including Pedigree, Whiskas, Cesar, and Royal Canin, and extends into services through veterinary hospital networks including Banfield, BluePearl, VCA, and AniCura, plus the global veterinary diagnostics business Antech. Mars Snacking covers confectionery and snack brands such as M&M'S, Snickers, Dove, and Extra alongside the newly added Kellanova brands. Mars Food & Nutrition includes brands such as Ben's Original.

The range of work is unusually broad for a single employer. Manufacturing and supply chain roles sit in production facilities and distribution networks. Commercial roles cover sales, category management, marketing, and e-commerce. Research and development supports both food and pet nutrition science. The veterinary side employs veterinarians, veterinary technicians, client service coordinators, and hospital managers across thousands of clinic locations, which is a very different hiring profile from a factory or an office role.

Company culture and employee programs:

Mars anchors its employment brand on the Five Principles and on its status as a family-owned business able to take a long-term view, and it has been recognized on external workplace lists including TIME's World's Best Companies. Associates typically encounter structured onboarding, internal mobility across segments and geographies, and safety and quality training that is heavily emphasized in manufacturing and veterinary settings. Benefits, working patterns, and eligibility vary widely by country, business segment, and site, so candidates should confirm specifics with the recruiter for the role they are pursuing.

Yes. Employers in the consumer goods and food manufacturing industry, including Mars, are legally permitted to conduct pre-employment background checks on job candidates, provided they follow applicable federal, state, and local law. In the United States, the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) governs employment screening, requiring a standalone disclosure, the candidate's written consent, and a defined adverse action process. Because Mars operates in many countries, screening outside the United States is governed by local employment and data protection law instead, which can be considerably more restrictive.

Mars is generally reported to conduct background checks as part of its hiring process, consistent with standard practice at large multinational manufacturers. Associates may work in food production facilities subject to strict safety and quality controls, handle company funds or customer accounts, or, on the veterinary side, care for animals and handle controlled substances. The scope of a Mars background check is not published and may vary by role, by business segment, and by the country where the position is based.

The Mars hiring process typically begins with an online application through the company's careers site, followed by a recruiter screen. Many roles include one or more interviews structured around the company's principles and competencies, and technical, commercial, and R&D roles may add a case exercise, presentation, or skills assessment. Manufacturing roles often include a site visit or plant tour and a discussion of shift patterns. Veterinary roles handled through the Banfield, BluePearl, VCA, and AniCura networks follow their own clinical hiring processes. A conditional offer generally precedes any background check, at which point the candidate signs a disclosure and authorization form, and onboarding follows once pre-employment steps are complete.

There is no single answer, because turnaround is driven by scope. Reports limited to database searches are usually quick, while those that pull records from several counties, verify past employment, or confirm a license depend on how fast outside parties respond. Candidates can review background check turnaround times for typical ranges.

The employer determines the scope, and it can differ sharply between a factory role and a clinical one. A background check at a company like Mars may include some or all of the following:

Candidates should read the disclosure and authorization forms carefully, since the scope is specific to the role, the segment, and the country.

The seven-year framing that many candidates have heard comes from the FCRA, which generally bars consumer reporting agencies from reporting most negative information beyond that point, with exceptions for specific record categories and higher-salary roles. State law can be stricter. Because of this, the lookback applied to one search in a report is not always the lookback applied to another.

Mars does not publish a detailed policy on applicants with felony records, and large employers generally evaluate criminal history case by case. Factors that commonly weigh in include the nature and seriousness of the offense, how long ago it occurred, evidence of rehabilitation, and how directly the record relates to the duties of the role. Many states and cities have adopted "ban-the-box" laws that restrict when an employer may ask about criminal history and require an individualized assessment before a record is used to reject someone. Clinical roles carry an additional layer, because state veterinary licensing boards apply their own eligibility standards. Candidates should answer application questions accurately and be ready to discuss context.

Consent is the baseline requirement, and it is usually collected through a written disclosure and authorization form during or just after the offer stage. Candidates should be prepared to share accurate identifying information, including full legal name, date of birth, Social Security number, and address history, plus details of prior employment where verification is part of the report. Candidates for veterinary and other licensed positions should also expect license verification, and applicants outside the United States will see requirements shaped by local law rather than the FCRA.

Passed to keep consumer reports accurate and fair, the FCRA gives candidates several concrete rights: consent before a report is ordered, notice and a copy of the report if an employer is considering an adverse decision, a summary of rights, and an opportunity to dispute errors with the reporting agency. This guide to the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) covers how it works together with EEOC guidance on criminal records.

Generally yes, because clinical work is a licensed profession. Veterinarians and veterinary technicians hired into the Banfield, BluePearl, VCA, or AniCura networks can expect their state license and, where relevant, specialty credentials to be verified and monitored, along with confirmation that they are not on federal or state exclusion or sanctions lists. Roles that involve handling controlled substances may also require registration with the appropriate authority. These are licensing and regulatory requirements layered on top of a standard employment background check, and a recruiter should be able to walk a candidate through what applies to a particular hospital and state.

Running a personal background check with Checkr lets you preview what Mars may see and gives you a chance to spot inaccuracies before they affect your application. One secure report covers:

Create your report in minutes at Checkr Personal Background Checks. To share verified credentials with recruiters and hiring managers proactively, build a free Checkr Profile.

Check your report status in the Candidate Portal. You can also visit the Checkr Help Center for FAQs, dispute steps, and support contacts.

The resources and information provided here are for educational and informational purposes only and do not constitute legal advice. Always consult your own counsel for up-to-date legal advice and guidance related to your practices, needs, and compliance with applicable laws.