Mars says M&M's, Starbursts without synthetic dyes coming in 2026
(NEXSTAR) — While several other food companies had confirmed they would drop artificial food dyes in response to a mission set forth by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. earlier this summer, Mars Wrigley was considered a holdout. That quietly changed late last month.
In a late-July statement, which was first reported by Bloomberg on Thursday, Mars Wrigley North America announced it plans to release 'product options' made without artificial dyes in 2026.
These options without synthetic dyes will be available only across four of its brands to start, according to the statement: M&M's, Skittles Original, Extra Gum Spearmint, and Starburst Original fruit chews. They'll be available to purchase online throughout the U.S.
A spokesperson confirmed to Nexstar that the 'choice products' without artificial dyes will be additions to the current brands. They declined to say whether currently available products will be affected by the dye changes.
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Mars did not immediately respond to Nexstar's request for additional information, like whether these options will replace others within each brand's portfolio, or if currently available products would be otherwise impacted.
'When we have identified fully effective, scalable solutions across the entire portfolio, we will share additional item commitments and timelines,' the company said in its statement.
In April, Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary said the agency would move to eliminate several synthetic dyes by the end of next year. That includes Green 3, Red 40, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Blue 1, and Blue 2. Red 3 was set to be banned in food by 2027 because it caused cancer in laboratory rats; the FDA called for that deadline to move up.
The FDA has been relying on companies voluntarily ditching the aforementioned dyes, but does plan to establish a standard and timeline for the food industry to switch to natural alternatives and revoke authorization for dyes not in production. Additionally, the FDA said it would authorize four new natural color additives.
Several food manufacturers have already announced plans to ditch synthetic colors. That includes General Mills, Pepsico, ConAgra, Nestle, McCormick, Tyson Foods, Sam's Club, JM Smucker, Hershey, Kraft Heinz, and dozens of companies that make ice cream and frozen dairy desserts.
Mars, however, was a holdout as of mid-July. The company now stands to be among the first to have products without artificial dyes available.
Artificial dyes are used widely in U.S. foods. In Canada and in Europe — where synthetic colors are required to carry warning labels — manufacturers mostly use natural substitutes. Several states, including California and West Virginia, have passed laws restricting the use of artificial colors in foods.
Health advocates have long called for the removal of artificial dyes from foods, citing mixed studies indicating they can cause neurobehavioral problems, including hyperactivity and attention issues, in some children. The FDA has maintained that the approved dyes are safe and that 'the totality of scientific evidence shows that most children have no adverse effects when consuming foods containing color additives.'
The FDA currently allows 36 food color additives, including eight synthetic dyes.
Removing dyes from the food supply will not address the chief health problems that plague Americans, said Susan Mayne, a Yale University chronic disease expert and former director of the FDA's food center.
'With every one of their announcements, they're focusing in on something that's not going to accomplish what they say it is,' Mayne said of Kennedy's initiatives. 'Most of these food dyes have been in our food supply for 100 years. … So why aren't they driving toward reductions in things that do drive chronic disease rates?'
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