Major Shift For M&M’s: Blue And Brown Dropped From Select Amazon Packs Amid Natural Dye Transition

The “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) initiative is bringing a noticeable change to one of America’s most iconic candies. Starting this August, specific packages of M&M’s sold exclusively on Amazon will no longer include blue or brown candy pieces.

This limited run is part of a bigger shift from candy manufacturer Mars, which is beginning what is projected to be a two-year process to phase out artificial dyes company-wide, replacing synthetic colorants with alternatives sourced entirely from natural ingredients. Blue and brown M&M’s are not disappearing for good, however: the two shades will still be included in all M&M’s products sold at traditional retail locations and other online retailers outside of this test batch.

The stripped-down test packs align with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s MAHA public health campaign. A Mars spokesperson reaffirmed to Fast Company that “existing varieties of these products that consumers already know and love will continue to be available in stores and online.”

Last year, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Food and Drug Administration released a formal plan to phase out synthetic food dyes in consumer products over the next several years. While no legislation has been passed to explicitly ban the substances targeted in the 2025 announcement, Mars is just the latest major food brand to adjust its offerings to align with the Trump administration’s public health priorities. PepsiCo, for example, has already launched “Simply Naked” versions of Doritos and Cheetos that contain no artificial colors or flavors at all.

Blue Dye Development Has Proved An Unexpectedly Tough Challenge

While Mars has already finalized all-natural dye alternatives for M&M’s four other core colors — red, yellow, orange, and green — the Virginia-based confectioner has yet to nail down a stable, workable formulation for blue and brown candies. The Wall Street Journal reported earlier this month that creating a consistent vibrant blue from a natural source has proven especially difficult, and blue is a required base ingredient to make brown M&M’s, so the challenge delays both shades.

Mars tested spirulina, a common blue-green algae used for natural color in many food products, but the ingredient caused major production snags by gumming up factory manufacturing equipment. Testing of alternative natural ingredients is still ongoing. The company told USA Today that it will share more public updates once it has “identified fully effective, scalable solutions across the entire portfolio.”