M&M’s are about to look a little different. Starting in August, Mars will roll out a version made without artificial colors—at least for now—so bags will only have red, orange, yellow, and green, while blue and brown temporarily disappear.
The change comes as Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. pushes his “Make America Healthy Again” campaign, which has already barred dyes like Citrus Red No. 2 and Orange B, with the FDA moving to phase out others. That pressure, along with state crackdowns, is pushing big food companies to rethink artificial dyes.
Mars says swapping to natural colors isn’t easy. Beets and turmeric can handle red, orange, and yellow, and spirulina algae can make green—but blue is the problem. It takes more spirulina to produce blue, it can clog equipment, and brown M&M’s also rely on blue tones, making it a technical headache.
For now, the new dye-free M&M’s will only be sold on Amazon, while the classic versions stay in stores as Mars works toward a full natural-color lineup by 2028.
