You versus a bowl of M&M’s.
If I had to place a bet on who would win that battle, I’d 99.99% go with the M&M’s.
You’ve been there. I’m also guilty.
Especially with the holiday season in full swing, it is nearly impossible to resist this coveted candy dish.
However, you may want to think twice before reaching for those easy “melt-in-your-mouth-not-in-your-hand” chocolates.
Here is why…
First, a brief history of the glorious M&M:
- Created in 1941.
- Now sold in over 100 countries with 33 different fillings.
- Created to allow soldiers to carry chocolate without it melting.
- The two “M’s” are for Forrest E. Mars, Sr. and William F.R. Murrie, the son of Hershey chocolate’s president.
- This partnership allowed Mars to use Hershey in their products.
- Hershey had control of chocolate at the time.
Harmful Ingredients Discovered In Candy
In 1976, Red candies were banned due to people’s concern about the questionable dyes. FD&C Red #2 was suspected to be a carcinogen. Red candies were then reintroduced in 1983. However, Mars is still urged by consumers to remove these dangerous artificial colors.
These artifical colors have been referred to as “neurotoxic chemicals” by a Change.org petition as well as a press release from Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI).
Kraft Macaroni and Cheese experienced a similar petition urging them to remove dangerous Yellow #5 and Yellow #6, which was supported by 350,000 signatures!
The CSPI has recommended that warning labels listing the risks of the eight approved FD&C food colors should be a requirement for all products containing these dangerous ingredients. The CSPI’s Dr. Jacobson said:
“The evidence that these petrochemicals worsen some children’s behavior is convincing.
I hope that the committee will advise the agency to both require warning notices and encourage companies voluntarily to switch to safer natural colorings.”
WHAT Are M&M’s Made Of?
Let’s look at the current ingredients listed on a bag of Original M&M’s:
- Milk chocolate (sugar, chocolate, cocoa butter, skim milk, milkfat, lactose, soy lecithin, salt, artificial color), sugar, corn starch, >1% corn syrup, dextrin, artificial colors (Blue 1 Lake, Red 40 Lake, Yellow 6, Yellow 5, Red 40, Blue 1, Blue 2 Lake, Yellow 6 Lake, Yellow 5 Lake, Blue 2), gum acacia.
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