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McLean candy giant Mars makes $1.3 billion veterinary acquisition

By Jeff Clabaugh

McLean, Virginia-based Mars, best known for its candy empire including M&Ms and Snickers bars, also owns a large pet care business, and it’s adding to it with a $1.3 billion acquisition of veterinary diagnostic company Heska.

Mars’ pet care business is one of the largest in the country. Its pet food brands include Pedigree, Royal Canin and Whiskas. It also owns a growing chain of pet hospitals and pet diagnostic services.

Heska will become part of Mars’ Science and Diagnostics division of Mars Petcare.

Loveland, Colorado-based Heska was founded in 1988. It manufactures, markets and supports diagnostic and specialty solutions for veterinary practitioners.

Heska had $257.3 million in revenue for 2022. The acquisition is expected to close in the second half of 2023.

Mars is the largest privately-held company in the D.C. region, with annual sales of $45 billion.

Massachusetts court hears arguments in lawsuit alleging Meta designed apps to be addictive to kids

By The Associated Press
BOSTON (AP) — Massachusetts' highest court heard oral arguments Friday in the state's lawsuit arguing that Meta designed features on Facebook and Instagram to make them addictive to young users. The lawsuit, filed in 2023 by Attorney General Andrea Campbell, alleges that Meta did this to make a profit and that its actions affected hundreds of thousands of teenagers in Massachusetts who use the social media platforms. “We are making claims based only on the tools that Meta has developed because its own research shows they encourage addiction to the platform in a variety of ways,” said State Solicitor David Kravitz, adding that the state's claim has nothing to do the company's algorithms or failure to moderate content. Meta said Friday that it strongly disagrees with the allegations and is “confident the evidence will show our longstanding commitment to supporting young people.” Its attorney, Mark Mosier, argued in court that the lawsuit “would impose liabilities for performing traditional publishing functions” and that its actions are protected by the First Amendment.
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