Starting next year, Skittles, M&M’s, Starburst and Extra Gum will be available free of artificial colors to consumers nationwide.
Mars Wrigley North America announced in July that products across four categories of its popular treats — gum, fruity confections and chocolate candy — will be made “without Food, Drug & Cosmetic (FD&C) colors” starting in 2026.
The first brands to be available without FD&C colors will include M&M’s Chocolate, Skittles Original, Extra Gum Spearmint and Starburst Original fruit chews, the company said.
The move makes Mars Wrigley an early entrant to a growing list of major consumer product goods companies offering a choice of naturally colored products.
The change comes amid a push from Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to crack down on synthetic food additives as part of his initiative to “Make America Healthy Again.” Among those efforts are proposals to phase out artificial food dyes in favor of natural alternatives.
In June, Kraft Heinz and General Mills announced plans to remove artificial food dyes from some products within the next two years. Several other large food manufacturers — including PepsiCo, ConAgra, The Hershey Company, McCormick & Co., J.M. Smucker and Nestlé USA — have announced similar plans in recent months.