Episode 347
Morning 6-Pack - M&M Makeover: The Color Conundrum!
Morning 6-Pack - Say Bye-Bye to Some M&M Colors! Can you believe it’s been a whopping 31 years since blue M&Ms took over from the tan ones? That’s right, time flies faster than a runaway candy cart! This week, we’re diving into the scoop about the new all-natural M&M lineup that’s ditching some colors while they figure out how to get those blues and browns back in the mix. Spoiler alert: they’re trying to use algae for blue—yes, you heard me, pond scum! We’ll also share some hilarious "natural" ideas for turning those M&Ms blue, like Smurfette’s bath water and, oh, denying them sex! So grab your coffee, kick back, and let’s get snackin’ on some sweet laughs!
Takeaways:
- 31 years ago, blue M&Ms crashed the party, leaving tan ones feeling super sad!
- Mars is on a mission to ditch artificial dyes and go all-natural with M&Ms by 2028!
- Did you know the color blue in M&Ms is a tricky little devil? They're testing spirulina, aka pond scum!
- Brown M&Ms are also on the chopping block, but don't panic— they'll be back, pinky promise!
- If you're a blue M&M fan, don’t fret! They’re just taking a little vacay while Mars finds a natural hue!
- The quest for naturally-colored M&Ms is a multi-million dollar adventure, but hey, no extra costs for us, right?
Transcript
Good morning.
Speaker A:It's Haystack.
Speaker A:And can you believe that it's been 31 years since Blue M and M's replaced The tan ones?
Speaker A:31 Years.
Speaker A:I feel like this is the single thing that makes me feel older than anything, is that it's been 31 years.
Speaker A:Because to me, it seems like yesterday that the blue M and M thing was, was a major headline everywhere.
Speaker A:And now blue M&M's are making news again, along with brown M&MS.
Speaker A:As Mars, the company that makes M&MS, is introducing a new version of M&M's that are made without any artificial dyes, which is a cool thing.
Speaker A:They're gonna be sold exclusively on Amazon starting in August.
Speaker A:But if you open one of those bags, you're gonna notice something missing.
Speaker A:Well, you're gonna notice two something's missing.
Speaker A:Brown M and M's and blue M and M's.
Speaker A:They'll be gone now.
Speaker A:They're not gone forever.
Speaker A:No need to panic if you're a brown or blue fan.
Speaker A:But Mars, again, the company Behind M&Ms, they're trying to figure out how to make natural alternatives for those colors.
Speaker A:So they are temporarily going to leave them out of these all natural versions while they work on a solution.
Speaker A:Their goal is to move all M and Ms. To natural food coloring.
Speaker A:And they've already found options that are natural for red, orange, yellow, and green, although they may be a little less bright than what you're used to.
Speaker A:But they're using ingredients like beets and turmeric to create those colors.
Speaker A:Blue has turned out to be a tricky one.
Speaker A:They're experimenting with something called spirulina.
Speaker A:It's basically a high protein algae that some people call a superfood, others call it pond scum.
Speaker A:But the problem is that this particular thing is clogging up their equipment.
Speaker A:So they're trying to figure out whether they need to modify their machines to handle it or find a different way to make the blue color.
Speaker A:Brown is complicated too, because creating brown requires some blue as part of the process.
Speaker A:So that's why regulators have kind of begun to push food companies to remove artificial dyes.
Speaker A:And Mars at first thought, well, we'll just change all the colors up or maybe just reduce any of the ones that we have issues with.
Speaker A:But they said they're, they're committed to bringing all the familiar colors back using natural ingredients.
Speaker A:In fact, the company has an entire team dedicated to solving the color problem.
Speaker A:It's already become a multimillion dollar project.
Speaker A:I'm sure none of that cost will get passed on to us, right?
Speaker A:Right?
Speaker A:No, of course not.
Speaker A:Mars says that their goal is to have naturally colored M and Ms.
Speaker A: In all six colors by: Speaker A:Of course, by that point, it sounds like the artificially dyed versions will be phased out.
Speaker A:So in the meantime, the new bags clearly labeled as free of synthetic dyes, the regular M and Ms. That you're used to, still available in stores in your brick and mortar walk in.
Speaker A:Pick it up off the shelf for the foreseeable future.
Speaker A:But I really think they should just hit me up because I can come up with natural ways to turn an MM blue.
Speaker B:Well, gather round, folks.
Speaker B:It's the time of day when we laugh and smile in a lighthearted way.
Speaker B:Tune in for the giggles and let's kick back.
Speaker B:Here comes the fun.
Speaker B:It's the morning six pack.
Speaker A:Here we go.
Speaker A:Six natural ways that we can make blue MMs.
Speaker A:Number six, dunk them in Smurfette's bath water.
Speaker A:Five, force them to hold their breath until the Strait of Hormuz reopens.
Speaker A: e not been cool since the mid: Speaker A:Number three, hire the company that painted the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting pool.
Speaker A:Just be prepared for all the M and Ms. To turn green.
Speaker A:Number two, get them a job at Best Buy.
Speaker A:And the number one way, the number one natural way to make M&M's turn blue?
Speaker A:Deny them sex.
