Two M&M's colours are being cut temporarily following RFK Jr's MAHA campaign
Mars Inc. is temporarily removing two of its iconic M&M colours from bags amid pressure from Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his ongoing war on artificial dyes.
For the first time in its 85-year history, M&M’s is undergoing a multi-million dollar makeover, and the result is a debut bag of synthetic dye-free goodies.
Currently, its red, orange and yellow candies already use various natural ingredients like beets and turmeric.
However, the company has hit a snag with blue and brown, two of the most iconic colours.
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As a result, they’ve sadly been put on the chopping block - for now, at least.
The good news is that they will be back in the future as Mars bosses work out how best to substitute Blue 1, the artificial dye that both sweets are sprayed with.
Blue 1, also known as Brilliant Blue FCF, is an artificial food dye that research suggests can contribute to hyperactivity in children and skin discolouration in high concentrations.
According to a report by the Wall Street Journal, confectionery curators have selected spirulina as the best natural substitute for Blue 1.
However, makers have already hit a snag; the algae-based ingredient requires around seven times as much pigment to achieve that legendary cerulean blue.
What’s more, spirulina, which contains various proteins, vitamins, and minerals, creates a thick, foamy mixture that can often leave an unwanted plaque.
According to Anton Vincent, the leader of the company's North American snacks division, the decision to cut artificial dyes from the chocolate pebbles' making process has created a ‘daunting situation’.
“You’re messing with an 85-year-old icon,” he warned.
Meanwhile Claire Hewitt, the Mars executive overseeing the ban, called the move to natural ingredients the ‘hardest thing’ she has ever done in her career.
The report claims that Mars will debut artificial dye-free bags, including blue and brown varieties, by 2028.
They will not be included in its new range of naturally coloured M&M’s, which will be available to buy online via Amazon from August.
Those who are happy to consume artificial dyes - which are being ‘systematically cleared out’ by RFK Jr.’s Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement - can still grab regular bags from other supermarkets.
The environmental lawyer has been vocal in his campaign against sythnetic dyes for some time, previously calling them ‘poisonous compounds offer no nutritional benefit and pose real, measurable dangers to our children's health’.
Speaking in April 2025, RFK Jr. said that MAHA was ‘restoring gold-standard science, applying common sense, and beginning to earn back the public’s trust’.
“And we’re doing it by working with industry to get these toxic dyes out of the foods our families eat every day.”
Earlier this year, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced plans to relax its artificial colour labelling policy - a decision RFK Jr. hailed as a ‘gift to the industry’.
“There's never been an effort like this across all the government agencies,” he claimed.
Under new legislation, businesses can now classify their products as containing no artificial colours as long as they don’t contain popular petroleum-based colours, such as Indigotine, Tartrazine, and Sunset Yellow FCF.
These additives, alongside others, are set to be phased out completely in the US by the end of 2027.
FDA Commissioner Marty Makary has acknowledged that widening the definition and allowing for natural colourings to go unnoticed may be ‘confusing’.
“We acknowledge that calling colours derived from natural sources ‘artificial’ might be confusing for consumers and a hindrance for companies to explore alternative food colouring options,” he said.
“We’re taking away that hindrance and making it easier for companies to use these colours in the foods our families eat every day.”
Ella Scott