Dive Brief:
- Mars said it will begin offering Skittles, Starbursts and other iconic candies with natural coloring next year, though the company stopped short of committing to converting its entire portfolio away from artificial dyes.
- The candymaker said it will release natural dye options for four products across its biggest brands: M&M’s Chocolate, Skittles Original, Extra Gum Spearmint and Starburst Original fruit chews.
- Mars added it will share details and timelines for converting more of its portfolio away from artificial colors “when we have identified fully effective, scalable solutions.”
Dive Insight:
Prior to the announcement, Mars remained a notable holdout in a wave of companies announcing they would end use of artificial dyes following pressure from consumers and requests from federal regulators.
In 2016, the M&M’s and Skittles maker committed to removing artificial dyes from its candies within five years. But after putting significant time and money into developing new ingredients, seeking regulatory approval and building manufacturing infrastructure, Mars realized that not all consumers wanted natural dyes.
“We found that many of our consumers across the world do not, in fact, find artificial colors to be ingredients of concern” within the confectionery space, Mars said in an explanation of its approach to natural dyes.
Over the last few years, the regulatory and consumer tide has shifted — especially as new legislative efforts emboldened by the “Make America Healthy Again” movement began to force companies’ hands. Mars’ announcement of the new options came days after Texas’ attorney general announced an investigation into the company for failing to fulfill its prior pledge to remove artificial colors from its food products.
The confectionery industry faces some of the biggest challenges in switching from artificial dyes. While many other large CPGs use natural dyes across the majority of their portfolios, candymakers still rely heavily on petroleum-based colors for the bright appearances that consumers expect.
Limited supply of natural dyes, combined with uncertainty around how the transition will affect price and shelf life, has forced many candy companies to take a slower approach to ending the use of artificial colors.
