MARS candies is eliminating all artificial colourings from its products. That includes iconic M&Ms. And for the first time since the beginning… M&Ms are losing two classic colours. They’re just too hard to replicate using ‘natural’ ingredients…
Last stop before ‘out the door’: Portioning/bagging M&Ms Peanut at the
plant. Can you imagine this photo without Blues and Browns?
Okay, kids! Study the teaser photo at top of page. Which two colours don’t belong? If you guessed blue and brown, you’re right. There’s no prize. Just deal with it….
More like Reese’s Pieces
Your M&Ms will soon look more like Reese’s Pieces. That is, they’ll ‘feature’ a mix of Red-, Orange-, Yellow- and Green-clad classic chocolate or peanut centres.
Starting next month, M&Ms will have a new look – both contents and packaging to match. If they didn’t take new glam photos showing only the 4 remaining colours, and didn’t spend the thousands of dollars required to design and print all-new bags, they’d be in danger of being nailed for false advertising. (You KNOW how crazy most folks who sue Fast Food brands are!)
Why it’s happening
After a lot of behind-the-scenes experimentation and frustration, MARS discovered it would be too difficult – and costly – to replicate Brown and Blue candy shells for it’s candies from ‘natural’ source ingredients.
You’ve heard the saying, “There’s no such thing as blue food.” It’s true. Even blueberries are actually red when you get into them. The closest you get is that quirky, tasty, versatile Filipio0n veggie, the Ube. But though it is verging on ‘cobalt’, it’s still decidedly purple.
The end of an era…
Will MARS make hay of the event? I hope they have enough of a sense of humour, and full-enough wallets to throw Blue and Brown a proper going-away party. It could be a big, colourful affair, with all the MARS candy brands in attendance. Everybody could have a reminiscence to share…
… But the beginning of a new one?
Perhaps it’s a retirement party for Blue and Brown. After all, they’ve been working, side by side, for MARS for 86 years!
Blue and Brown M&Ms are always shown together. One’s male and the other’s female. Can we assume they’ve had a ‘special relationship’ over the years, out of the public eye?
They went through the Second World War together, right through from 1941 to 1945, during which time M&Ms were produced solely for the military, to provide a chocolate snack for soldiers that wouldn’t melt in their hands.
Or maybe, after all those years, Blue is planning on making an ‘honest sweetie’ of Ms Brown?
In either event, old Army buddy SPAM might also see fit to make an appearance, courtesy of a very special collaboration with Hormel… They probably worked together, in the Mess Hall…
My take
I must not bring this post to a close without making a couple of candid admissions…
The Canadian equivalent of M&M’s is Nestlé’s Smarties. They’re exactly the same, but without an initial imprinted on the side.
Smarties’ long-time jungle lyric asked… “When you eat your Smarties, do you eat the Red ones last?” Red was supposed to be special. Just like in M&Ms lore and legend. But I always preferred the blue ones overall. I was also imaginative enough to convince myself the brown ones tasted just a little bit more chocolatey…
And my childhood prejudices have migrated to M&Ms since they became available here, at the dawn of my young-adulthood.
Nevertheless, I hope MARS does decide to give Blue and Brown M&Ms a proper send-off… It’s a Fast Food Sphere event I’d totally consider buying merch around!
I already have not one but two M&Ms dispensers featuring an 8 in / 20 cm tall, seated Yellow Peanut whose arm you flex to get a handful of candy.. And that’s a bonus candid admission!
~ Maggie J.