Why some new bags of M&Ms may be missing blue and brown

Your candy – like your Cheetos and cereal – may soon be less colorful.

Mars, the company that makes the vibrant, candy-coated chocolate morsels that are M&Ms, is removing two colors – blue and brown – from some of its candy mixes. Some new bags of the treats will be without the colors, at least for a time, as the company works to transition to a synthetic-dye-free product.

Mars is introducing four products – M&Ms, Skittles, Starburst and Extra gum – made without FD&C dyes (synthetic dyes regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, such as Red No. 40) that will initially be available for purchase exclusively on Amazon this summer, the company told USA TODAY in a statement.

These naturally colored bags will be the only ones without the full M&M rainbow, Mars said, and traditional bags and other existing products will still be available in stores and online, with no change to the color mix. The company is working toward offering naturally-colored M&Ms in all shades by 2028.

Why will some M&Ms be missing blue and brown?

The Wall Street Journal first reported the development on June 18, describing the challenges Mars faced in finding natural alternatives to achieve something similar to its traditional blue and brown shades.

Colors like red and yellow were easy to replicate with ingredients like beetroot and turmeric, but the brand's signature cerulean blue and, in turn, brown, are a little harder to get right. Mars' choice of spirulina, a type of algae, produced a desirable look but "gummed up" factory machines and caused issues with consistency and texture, reported the Wall Street Journal.

The brand is still working on alternative means of matching the blue it first produced in 1995 and will share more "when we have identified fully effective, scalable solutions across the entire portfolio," the company said.

Why are big food brand phasing out synthetic dyes?

The move is part of a larger push initiated by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the FDA as part of the Make America Healthy Again movement.

The FDA shared intentions to "phase out" petroleum-based synthetic dyes by the end of 2026 during a news conference in April 2025, during which Kennedy called the additives "poison." The dyes have previously been allowed under FDA regulations and oversight.

The targeted additives include Red Dye 40, Yellow Dye 5, Yellow Dye 6, Blue Dye 1, Blue Dye 2, Green Dye 3, Citrus Red 2 and Orange B. Kennedy said that the dyes cause "behavioral issues in children," among a litany of other health issues, but there has been limited research linking dyes and direct health consequences in humans.

Studies have been done on the impacts of commonly used synthetic food dyes, some of which have found links to conditions like cancer, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and organ damage in mice. Some experts believe more definitive research is necessary, however, as previously reported by USA TODAY.

"The totality of scientific evidence indicates that most children have no adverse effects when consuming foods containing color additives, but some evidence suggests that certain children may be sensitive to them," an FDA page on food dyes, last updated in 2023, said. "The FDA will continue to evaluate emerging science to ensure the safety of color additives approved for use."

Big brands have already begun removing certain dyes

While the FDA said in April 2025 that it would authorize four new natural color additives and expedite the approval of more, no agreement or legislation was passed officially banning the substances. Instead, the Department of Health and Human Services and the FDA have a "mutual understanding" with the food industry that the dyes will be progressively removed, Kennedy said at the time.

Even without enforceable regulations, many brands have bowed to the public pressure for more "natural" food ingredients. PepsiCo, Kraft Heinz, General Mills, Tyson Foods, Kellogg's, Campbell's, Coca-Cola, Nestle and Hershey are among other big-name companies that have pledged to or already phased out certain dyes, in some cases giving us the more muted versions of snacks like Doritos, Cheetos and Trix cereal.