M&M’s will temporarily remove its blue and brown candies later this summer as its parent company, Mars, continues its transition away from artificial food dyes, according to published reports.
The change is expected to coincide with the candy’s 85th anniversary in August, when Mars plans to introduce M&M’s made without artificial colorings.
Reports indicate the company has successfully recreated several familiar colors, including red and yellow, using natural ingredients such as beets and turmeric. However, producing natural blue coloring has proven much more challenging.
The difficulty also affects brown M&M’s because blue coloring is used to achieve the candy’s signature shade.
According to reports, Mars would need to replace the synthetic dye Blue 1 with spirulina extract, a blue-green algae commonly marketed as a nutritional supplement. While effective as a natural dye, spirulina is significantly more expensive than other natural dyes and can pose manufacturing challenges because it does not fully dissolve in water, which can clog production equipment.
The Wall Street Journal reported that company executives considered temporarily offering only red, orange and yellow candies but decided against the idea.
Instead, the naturally colored M&M’s expected to debut in August will reportedly omit the blue and brown varieties. The products are initially expected to be sold through Amazon, with the company aiming to restore all six traditional colors using natural dyes by 2028.
The move comes about a year after Mars announced plans to expand offerings made with natural colorings.
The transition reflects growing consumer demand for foods made without synthetic dyes. Health advocates have long urged food manufacturers to eliminate artificial colorings, citing research suggesting some dyes may contribute to hyperactivity or attention-related issues in certain children.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has maintained that approved food dyes are safe for consumption and that most children experience no adverse effects from foods containing them. Mars has not announced any changes to its traditional M&M’s products beyond the reported rollout of the naturally colored versions.
Source: Fox43