Mars Inc. is encountering unexpected challenges as it works to remove artificial food dyes from some of its products, underscoring the difficulties facing food manufacturers amid a broader push by the Trump administration to phase out synthetic color additives.

The maker of M&M's has pledged to introduce versions of some products made without artificial dyes after mounting pressure from Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his "Make America Healthy Again" initiative. The company plans to rely on colors derived from natural ingredients rather than synthetic additives.

According to a report by The Wall Street Journal, replacing some of M&M's signature colors has proven more complicated than company researchers initially anticipated.

Mars scientists have successfully developed natural alternatives for red, orange and yellow candies using ingredients such as beets and turmeric. Reproducing other colors, however, has posed greater challenges.

Blue has emerged as one of the most difficult colors to replace. According to the Journal, Mars determined that spirulina, an algae-derived ingredient, offered the closest natural alternative to the synthetic dye Blue 1.

But the substitute has created a range of production challenges. Mars reportedly must use substantially larger amounts of spirulina-based coloring to approach the familiar blue shade used in M&M's, and even then the resulting color is noticeably lighter than the traditional version. The ingredient has also proven difficult to use consistently in large-scale manufacturing.

The challenges have also complicated production of brown M&M's because the color formula relies in part on blue pigments. Mars produces roughly 600 million M&M's each day in the United States, making consistency and scalability critical considerations.

The difficulties highlight the broader challenges facing food companies as federal regulators move toward eliminating several widely used synthetic dyes. Food manufacturers have long relied on artificial colorings because they are inexpensive, stable and capable of producing consistent colors across large production runs.

Mars had been viewed as one of the larger food companies that had not publicly committed to eliminating artificial dyes. That changed in July when Mars Wrigley North America announced plans to introduce product options without synthetic color additives beginning in 2026.

The announcement followed a broader push by Kennedy and federal health officials to reduce the use of artificial dyes in foods. In April, Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary said the agency intends to eliminate several synthetic dyes by the end of next year, including Blue 1, Blue 2, Green 3, Red 40, Yellow 5 and Yellow 6.

Federal regulators have also accelerated plans to remove Red 3 from foods. The dye had already been slated for a future ban after studies linked it to cancer in laboratory rats, but officials have sought to move up the timeline.

The challenges facing Mars illustrate the balancing act confronting food manufacturers as they seek to meet new regulatory expectations while maintaining the appearance, taste and consistency consumers expect from familiar brands.