Overview
- Mars plans an Amazon-exclusive online launch of a naturally dyed M&M product in August, according to multiple reports published Friday.
- The debut will exclude the brand’s blue and brown candies because the leading natural substitute for Blue 1, spirulina, requires far more pigment and creates a thick, foamy residue that gums up equipment and can cause sanitation risks.
- Mars says solving the spirulina problem will require costly engineering changes across plants, including upgrades to more than 300 machines and tougher cleaning regimes, which is why it set an internal goal to match all six classic colors by 2028.
- The company will keep its traditional, artificially colored M&M’s on sale while offering the new natural option in limited online channels and testing manufacturing fixes.
- Coverage differs by outlet with The Independent stressing political pressure from Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s MAHA campaign and state investigations and the New York Post emphasizing the technical, operational and cost challenges behind the phased rollout.