M&M’s August – Mars is preparing an August launch of artificial dye-free M&M’s, but recreating blue and brown naturally has proven far more expensive and difficult—so much so that spirulina-based coloring has created production headaches. The pivot comes as Robert F. Kennedy
On the countdown to Mars’ 85-year anniversary, the plan sounds simple: swap artificial colors for dye-free candies in August.
But in M&M’s colorful lineup, two shades have become the hardest part of the job. Mars can replicate some classic tones using natural sources such as beets or turmeric, yet recreating blue and brown has been “considerably more difficult and expensive to recreate naturally,” according to reporting.
Mars has been using spirulina extract—“a concentrated blue-green algae powder”—to mimic blue and brown. The problem is the cost. The raw supplement can cost up to $20 per lb. at similar wholesalers, and the concentrated form most often used for food dyes is often priced at over $100 per lb. By comparison, turmeric is available in bulk for prices in the $9-$11 per lb. range.
That price tag is only one obstacle. Spirulina’s thick, viscous nature has also caused clogging in M&M’s factory spray nozzles and led to film build-ups in manufacturing equipment, creating what has been described as a potential safety and health hazard.
The pressure to change is tied to the “Make America Healthy Again (MAHA)-compliant move” Mars is making after facing pressure from Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Mars originally announced a plan to offer artificial dye-free products in 2016. but reversed course after announcing customers didn’t seem to care. In 2025, after Kennedy-led pressure, Mars announced it would pivot again to natural dye options.
Wanting to debut the altered product ahead of its August milestone, Mars has spent “millions” searching for alternatives. One idea considered was to roll out a three-color mix of red, orange and yellow. Executives rejected it because “the sunset vibes were too strong.”
Anton Vincent, the leader of the company’s North American snacks division, described the work as difficult. He told the reporting effort the replacement effort “was a daunting situation,” adding, “you’re messing with an 85-year-old icon.”
Even the timeline of policy pressure is part of the picture. Kennedy Jr. has repeatedly criticized artificial dyes in U.S. food products. saying they are a key driver in “numerous American health epidemics.” In a 2025 press conference with West Virginia’s Republican Gov. Patrick Morrisey, Kennedy Jr. said: “When we look at these nine specific food dyes. the science shows a clear. undeniable link to behavioral disruptions in our kids and long-term cancer risks. We are systematically clearing them out.”.
West Virginia became the first state to sign into law a total ban on statewide sales of major artificial dyes in 2025.
Kennedy Jr.’s HHS has also added Mars to a list of 27 corporations that pledged to remove artificial food dyes from certain products as part of an effort to eliminate petroleum-based food dyes from the U.S. food supply.
At the federal level, Kennedy Jr.’s office has formally banned four petroleum-based artificial food dyes. The FDA authorization was revoked for brominated vegetable oil (BVO), Red Dye no. 3, Citrus Red No. 2 and Orange B.
Kennedy Jr. has pushed companies to phase out six additional dyes: Red 40, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Blue 1, Blue 2, and Green 3. His office has cited animal studies linking consumption of specific artificial dyes to cancer risks and long-term behavioral dysfunctions.
The FDA’s rationale for banning Red Dye No. 3 in 2025 was the Delaney Clause—a provision requiring the agency to prohibit a chemical if it’s found to cause cancer in humans or animals. Numerous long-term animal studies found the chemical linked to cancer development in rats.
For Mars, the result is a high-stakes logistics and cost problem hidden inside a candy aisle. Blue and brown aren’t just different colors on the bag; they have become the most expensive and technically troublesome parts of the conversion. Mars’ factory issues with spirulina—clogging spray nozzles and building up film in equipment—add a practical risk to a change that has also required “millions” in spending.
The company wants its dye-free version on shelves in August, but the path there runs through the question that keeps resurfacing in every calculation: how do you keep the icon’s look when the hardest shades are the ones that cost the most and complicate production the most?
M&M's Mars dye-free candies artificial food dyes MAHA initiative Robert F. Kennedy Jr. HHS spirulina turmeric West Virginia dye ban FDA Delaney Clause Red Dye No. 3