The Make America Healthy Again campaign (led by RFK Jr.) wants to get rid of artificial food dyes in foods and drinks, and soon.
The FDA’s proposed ban of these synthetic food dyes would take effect within the next couple of years, and many companies are jumping on the bandwagon and expressing their support.
That is, except for one major brand…
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Mars is the company that makes a lot of candies you’ve probably passed out at Halloween. M&Ms, Skittles, Starburst, Milky Way, and Twix are all made by Mars.
Think about the colorful candies like M&Ms and Skittles. Where do you think these candies get those bright colors? Why, yes – from the to-be-banned dyes!
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In case you haven’t heard, here is a list of the food dyes the FDA is moving towards banning by the end of 2026. (The ones in bold are the ones most commonly used today.)
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- Citrus Red 2
- Orange B
- Red 3
- Red 40
- Yellow 5
- Yellow 6
- Blue 1
- Blue 2
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M&Ms, Skittles, and Starburst are prime examples of dye-laden candies made by Mars. The dyes used in M&Ms include:
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- Red 40
- Yellow 6
- Yellow 5
- Blue 1
- Blue 2
You’ll find a similar list in Mars’ other candies like Skittles and Starburst.
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Unlike other major brands making statements about their commitment to remove dyes following the FDA’s suggestion, Mars is staying quiet.
The interesting thing about Mars is that it had already promised to remove food dyes way before the MAHA campaign, but it didn’t follow through…
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A press release by Mars from 2016 read: “Mars, Incorporated announced today that it will remove all artificial colors from its human food products as part of a commitment to meet evolving consumer preferences.”
Womp womp…that didn’t happen. What gives?
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Mars did an about-face, later saying, “For treats… we found that many of our consumers across the world do not, in fact, find artificial colours to be ingredients of concern.”
The interesting thing is that Mars removed food dyes from its products in Europe, given that the food additive laws are quite a bit stricter there compared to the US. Here’s what they had to say about this shady broken promise…
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Mars’ statement continues: “…we will continue to prioritise our efforts to remove artificial colours in Europe – where consumers have expressed this preference – but will not be removing all artificial colours from our Mars Wrigley portfolio in other markets.”
So Mars quietly backed out of its statement that food dyes would be removed from its products, and basically said that Europe cares more about artificial food dyes than the United States does.
…until now?
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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton recently announced an investigation into Mars’ decision not to stand by its pledge to remove artificial dye from its products.
Here’s what the Attorney General has to say about the whole issue…
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Paxton said, “Mars must remove toxic artificial dyes from its U.S. food products not only to honor its public commitment and ensure that it stays on the right side of the law, but also because it’s the right thing to do”.
Regarding the thwarted plan to remove dyes in 2016, Paxton adds that “it’s time for Mars to follow the lead of other companies like Nestle and Hershey by removing synthetic dyes from its products. For the health of Texans and all Americans, Mars must fulfill its 2016 pledge to get rid of these toxic ingredients.”
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Mars will likely continue to be pressured to join other manufacturers like Nestle, General Mills, and Kraft Heinz in their pledges to remove dyes per the FDA’s proposed ban.
Another interesting detail?
Attorney General Paxton had launched an investigation into General Mills earlier this year, which led to its agreement to remove artificial bans. It’s my prediction that Mars will follow suit and fold to the pressure from Paxton and the impending FDA ban…
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What do you think of Mars going back on its word regarding food dyes in 2016? Do you think it’ll fold to the pressure and make a statement about removing food dyes soon?
Drop your thoughts in the comment section!
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