MAHA: M&M’s Ditches Blue, Brown Candies for Upgraded Natural Version

Creators of the iconic candy brand M&M’s have been working to remove artificial dyes, but sweet lovers may not find the colors blue and brown in the upgraded Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) version.

The Mars brand has been working to reinvent the candy without artificial dyes as part of President Donald Trump’s MAHA agenda, but the company has had trouble with the colors blue and brown, the New York Post reported Friday.

The brand is about to debut a natural-ingredient version that includes red, orange, and yellow M&M’s without artificial dyes, but blue and brown have posed significant challenges to the candy makers.

The ingredient spirulina was chosen as a natural substitute for the artificial dye but has apparently become an issue due to it clogging machines at the factory, the Post article continued:

But the algae-based ingredient requires roughly seven times as much pigment to achieve that M&M “cerulean” hue and ends up creating a thick, foamy mixture that leaves an unwanted plaque, much like what you try to avoid after eating candy.

The coated remnants are said to cause a buildup in pipes and, eventually, mold, which poses a food-safety hazard.

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The blue problem has become so complicated that Mars will debut naturally colored M&M’s in August without two of its classic shades, because brown relies heavily on blue coloring to achieve the look.

According to UT MD Anderson, the FDA had approved several artificial dyes identified as Blue No. 1, Blue No. 2, Citrus Red No. 2, Green No. 3, Red No. 3, Orange B, Red No. 40, Yellow No. 5, and Yellow No. 6.

Some natural food dyes listed were beet juice and powder, beta-carotene, butterfly pea flower extract, fruit juice, riboflavin, saffron, spirulina extract, turmeric, and vegetable juice.