Mars is investing millions in a challenging effort to transition M&M's to natural dyes, particularly for the elusive blue color. This initiative is largely in response to pressure from Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s "Make America Healthy Again" (MAHA) campaign, which aims to eliminate artificial, petroleum-based food dyes. Mars had initially attempted a natural dye switch in 2016 but reversed the decision due to perceived lack of customer interest, only to recommit in 2025 following Kennedy's renewed push.
The most significant hurdle for Mars has been replicating blue and brown M&M's naturally. While colors like red and yellow were more easily achieved using natural sources such as beets and turmeric, blue requires spirulina, a blue-green algae extract. Spirulina is prohibitively expensive, costing over $100 per pound for the concentrated form used in dyes, compared to $9-$11 per pound for turmeric. The company's Senior Director of Ingredient Transformation, Claire Hewitt, described making a natural blue M&M as "the hardest thing I've had to do in my career."
Beyond cost, spirulina presents manufacturing difficulties. Its viscous nature has led to factory spray nozzle clogging and film build-ups in equipment, creating potential safety issues like mold formation and requiring investments in over 300 state-of-the-art machines and cleaning tools. Anton Vincent, leader of Mars' North American snacks division, called the replacement effort "a daunting situation... you're messing with an 85-year-old icon." As a result, the initial dye-free M&M's launching in August will exclude blue and brown, offering only red, orange, yellow, and green. These will initially be sold exclusively on Amazon. Mars aims to have all six classic colors available with natural dyes by 2028, confirming that blue and brown are not being eliminated permanently but are simply delayed.
