Mars is changing M&M’s, Skittles, and Starburst this summer

MAHA is shaking up your bag of M&M’s. Starting in August, select packages of the iconic candy sold exclusively on Amazon will no longer include the colors blue or brown. That’s because candy maker Mars will begin what’s expected to be a two-year process of transitioning away from its use of artificial dyes in lieu of dyes made from natural sources. You don’t have to say goodbye to blue and brown M&M’s chocolates entirely—they’ll still be included in products sold elsewhere online and in stores—but the less-colorful bags of candy are related to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s “Make America Healthy Again” campaign. A Mars spokesperson reiterated to Fast Company that “existing varieties of these products that consumers already know and love will continue to be available in stores and online.” Last year, the Department of Health and Human Services, alongside the Food and Drug Administration, outlined plans to phase out synthetic dyes in foods over the next few years. Though no legislation explicitly bans the substances targeted by the 2025 announcement, Mars is but the latest company to make changes that align with the Trump administration’s wishes. PepsiCo, for example, has launched “Simply Naked” versions of Doritos and Cheetos that don’t have any artificial colors or flavors. BLUE IS PROVING PROBLEMATIC While Mars has already come up with all-natural alternatives for the dyes used in the other colors of M&M’s—red, yellow, orange, and green—the McLean, Virginia-based company hasn’t yet figured out the right formulations for blue and brown candies. Finding a natural ingredient to make blue has proven especially difficult, and is key to the brown candies, The Wall Street Journal reported earlier this month. The company tried spirulina, a type of algae, but that was causing problems because it was gumming up the factory machines, so testing on alternative ingredients continues. The company told USA Today that it will share more information once it ha