Say Goodbye to Blue and Brown M&Ms as Mars Goes Dye-Free This August
Finn's Take· TL;DR- Mars is eliminating blue and brown M&Ms from its new dye-free candy line launching August, citing production costs with natural ingredients.
- Spirulina algae pigment requires seven times more material for blue coloring and creates foamy buildup posing food-safety hazards in manufacturing.
- Regulatory pressure from health officials and consumer demand drove Mars to reverse its 2016 pledge, with new naturally-dyed M&Ms launching exclusively on Amazon.
A Colorful Sacrifice for a Healthier Candy
The iconic M&M's brand will introduce a version of its candies made without artificial dyes beginning in August, as it marks its 85th anniversary. But the milestone comes with a notable catch. The change comes with a tradeoff: M&M's plans to eliminate its blue and brown candies from the lineup, as Mars told The Wall Street Journal the colors could not be recreated with natural ingredients at a reasonable cost.
Anton Vincent, president of Mars Snacking, North America and Global Ice Cream, captured the weight of the decision plainly: "It was a daunting situation. You're messing with an 85-year-old icon." For millions of candy lovers, that sentiment rings true. Blue and brown M&Ms have been fixtures in the bag for decades — and their disappearance, even in a single product line, marks a genuine shift in one of America's most recognizable treats.
Why Blue and Brown Are So Hard to Replace
Researchers were able to replicate other colors using natural ingredients, but blue — introduced in 1995 — proved more difficult, in part due to reliance on spirulina, an algae-based pigment. The ingredient requires significantly more material to achieve the same color intensity and also contributes to challenges in producing brown candies.
Spirulina was chosen as a natural substitute for the artificial dye, but the algae-based ingredient requires roughly seven times as much pigment to achieve the iconic "cerulean" hue and ends up creating a thick, foamy mixture that leaves an unwanted buildup. The coated remnants can cause a buildup in pipes and, eventually, mold, which poses a food-safety hazard. Brown, meanwhile, needs blue coloring to look the way it does — hence why it's also on the chopping block.
Mars explored replacing blue and brown with purple and pink or shifting to a three-color mix, but ultimately decided against those options. Researchers successfully replicated red, orange, and yellow M&M's using natural ingredients like beets and turmeric — colors that will anchor the new lineup. The company has already begun upgrading more than 300 machines across its manufacturing plants to accommodate the new ingredients, which have proven difficult to work with in production settings.
The Bigger Push Behind the Change
The change comes amid a push from Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to crack down on synthetic food additives as part of his initiative to "Make America Healthy Again," with efforts including proposals to phase out artificial food dyes in favor of natural alternatives. Kennedy and FDA Commissioner Marty Makary said in April 2025 that the agency would take steps to eliminate synthetic dyes by the end of 2026, largely by relying on voluntary efforts from the food industry.
Health advocates have long called for the removal of artificial dyes from foods, citing mixed studies showing they may cause some neurobehavioral problems, such as hyperactivity and attention problems, in some children. The FDA has maintained that approved dyes are safe and that "most children have no adverse effects" when consuming foods made with them. Mars had pledged in 2016 to remove artificial dyes from its products but later reversed course after determining customers were not concerned. The current wave of public and regulatory pressure clearly changed the calculus.
What Comes Next for M&M's
The new naturally dyed M&M's will be sold exclusively on Amazon starting in August. The M&M's you know and love will remain available — so fans of the original formula won't be forced into the change. Mars is one of 27 companies that pledged to remove at least some artificial colors or additives as part of the MAHA initiative, and the company pledged that Extra, M&M's, Skittles Original, and Starburst would have product options without certified colors beginning in 2026.
Mars has committed to offering all six colors with natural dyes by 2028, giving the company time to solve the spirulina challenge. Whether scientists can crack the blue problem — and bring back that familiar cerulean shell — will determine whether this is a permanent farewell to two beloved colors or simply a temporary gap on the way to a fully natural candy rainbow.