Mars is set to introduce four new confectionery items in the US that are free from artificial colorants.
In response to political advocacy and consumer demand, food manufacturers across the country have committed to eliminating synthetic dyes from their products. However, developers face hurdles related to maintaining taste, texture, and production processes.
Mars is actively working to phase out the so-called Food, Drug, and Cosmetic (FD&C) colors from its recipes.
In the upcoming weeks, the company will unveil four foods, devoid of FDA-approved color variants, initially available on Amazon.
These new offerings, crafted with natural colorings, will be marketed under the M&M’s, Skittles, Starburst, and Extra brands.
Notably, the naturally-colored M&M’s will lack the blue and brown chocolate pieces typically found in standard versions.
Traditional options will continue to remain accessible both in stores and online.
“Mars is actively working toward offering natural-colored M&M’s in all six signature colours by 2028,” a representative said. “As Mars identifies fully effective, scalable solutions across its portfolio, the company will share additional product commitments and timelines.”
The company has yet to disclose whether products containing artificial dyes will be discontinued after this target date.
In discussions with The Wall Street Journal, Mars executives revealed they are testing spirulina as a natural substitute for FD&C artificial ingredient Blue 1 used in M&M’s.
The company has also committed to investing in machinery upgrades at its facilities that produce M&M’s.
“It’s the hardest thing I’ve had to do in my career,” expressed Claire Hewitt, senior director for ingredient transformation at Mars Wrigley North America, as reported by the WSJ.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has launched a digital “tracker” to monitor commitments from companies to eliminate FD&C colors.
Recently, Nestlé announced it had successfully removed dyes from its food and beverage items in the US. “In recipes that previously utilized these ingredients, the company has either eliminated or replaced them with alternatives while preserving the quality, flavor, and experience consumers anticipate. Updated recipes are already hitting the shelves, and customers can refer to product labels for additional details,” the company stated.