Mars Wrigley announces options of Skittles, M&M's and more candy will be free of synthetic dyes in 2026
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 last month 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 without FD&C colors will include M&M's Chocolate, Skittles Original, Extra Gum Spearmint and Starburst Original fruit chews, the company said.
News of the candy maker's move away from synthetic color additives was first announced on July 24, as reported by Bloomberg.
"Mars Wrigley North America has been on an innovation journey over the past few years, dedicated to bringing products that provide consumers delicious choices when they treat," the company said in a press release. "In the United States, we are engaged closely with regulators and aware of the increased dialogue and activity regarding colors. All our products meet the high standards and applicable regulations set by food safety authorities around the world, including the FDA."
Anton Vincent, president of Mars Wrigley North America, added that the company's approach "is always consumer-focused and science-led."
Mars Wrigley said its experts "are exploring alternatives that satisfy scientific safety criteria, technical requirements and consumer preferences." Once the company has identified a "fully effective, scalable solution," it will share updates on timing and specific product commitments, it 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, Nestlé USA and more -- have announced similar plans in recent months.
As of May, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved three additional color additives from natural sources that are in line with the Department of Health and Human Services' goals, which can be used in a wide range of products from gum to breakfast cereal.
"For too long, our food system has relied on synthetic, petroleum-based dyes that offer no nutritional value and pose unnecessary health risks. We're removing these dyes and approving safe, natural alternatives -- to protect families and support healthier choices," Kennedy said in a statement at the time.
Multiple states have also passed legislation to eliminate food dyes from school lunch programs.
Some studies have shown certain synthetic food dyes, such as Red No. 3 and Red No. 40, are carcinogenic in animals. Red No. 3 was banned by the FDA earlier in 2025, with removal from foods required by 2027, while Red No. 40 is among the dyes the agency is encouraging industry to phase out. In the case of Red No. 3, however, the link between the dye and cancer does not occur in humans, according to the FDA.
Limited studies have suggested a potential link between dyes like Red No. 40 and hyperactivity, including ADHD, and reported "noted improvements in behavior and attention when such dyes are eliminated from diets," Kantha Shelke, Ph.D., founder of the food science research firm Corvus Blue and a member of the Institute of Food Technologists, told ABC News previously. However, both the Environmental Protection Agency and the World Health Organization have classified Red 40 as "low concern," noting that most people don't typically consume enough to cause a problem.
