Not signed in (Sign In)

Vanilla 1.1.2 is a product of Lussumo. More Information: Documentation, Community Support.

  1.  

    my friend reckons blue m&m's will give you cancer.
    Has anyone heard of this?

    • CommentAuthorSeabiscuit
    • CommentTimeSep 30th 2006
     

    I heard the green ones make you horny....

    •  
      CommentAuthorTaed
    • CommentTimeSep 30th 2006
     

    In normal doses, I don't think that there's any worry. But if you ate, say, 10 times the serving size (which is I think half of one of those "fun size" bags), then I'd start to be concerned.

    • CommentAuthorLyet
    • CommentTimeSep 30th 2006 edited
     

    This is actually really strange, because I just read something about this in a student's paper that I was proofreading. He was writing it for Chemistry class on artificial dyes. He cited an FDA source about an ongoing investigation into Blue #4, which is the current dye being used in plain M&Ms. (Interestingly enough - according to his paper, anyway - they use Blue #8 in peanut M&Ms, because even though Blue #4 is slightly cheaper to produce, it bleeds through the chocolate and dyes the peanuts. Blue #8 has a different agent in it that keeps it from bleeding through.)

    Anyway, this was a long route to say that the FDA began investigating Blue #4 in 1995, when Blue became an M&M color, but has found nothing conclusive regarding health effects, although they haven't closed the file. The file on Blue #4 has been labeled "authorized with restrictions." This means that while the company can use Blue #4 in their M&Ms, the percentage of blue M&Ms in any given package can not exceed 30%. Places like specialty candy stores that sell individual colors of M&Ms must have them specially manufactured using Blue #8.

  2.  
    Posted By: Lyet

    ---blue---

    Excellent information... Thank you.

    •  
      CommentAuthorAthene
    • CommentTimeOct 1st 2006
     

    About 3 years ago, when I was at M&M World in Las Vegas, there was a sign on the blue M&Ms stating that they were made with Blue #8 per FDA regulations. I didn't think anything of it at the time, but this would explain it. Thanks for the info, Lyet!

    •  
      CommentAuthorGeog
    • CommentTimeOct 1st 2006
     

    Well, I don't know about you, but I would LOVE to have blue peanuts in my M&Ms. Damn FDA!

    •  
      CommentAuthorJoshuaU490
    • CommentTimeOct 5th 2006
     

    I heard about a guy in South Dakota who tried to sue the M&M company after he got colon cancer. Claiming that it was the undigestible dye from the Blue M&Ms that gave him the cancer. But, he couldn't prove it so he lost.

    • CommentAuthorakula682
    • CommentTimeOct 7th 2006
     

    years ago it was the red ones that gave you cancer.

    •  
      CommentAuthorJoshuaU490
    • CommentTimeOct 8th 2006
     

    yes, it was red dye #27, but they realized the damage it was causing and banned it in 1996.

    • CommentAuthorakula682
    • CommentTimeOct 8th 2006
     
    Posted By: JoshuaU490

    yes, it was red dye #27, but they realized the damage it was causing and banned it in 1996.

    I think they reintroduced it in the late 80's... I don’t remember them (red m&m's) when I was a kid, (the mid 70's and early 80's). They had brown, which was replaced with blue when i was living in Hawaii in the mid 90's.