The LuLac Edition 5, 710, July 12th, 2026

 

GOODBYE BLUES AND BROWNS!

 

A top chocolate candy in the U.S. is dealing with a case of the blues — or, more accurately, lack thereof.

On June 18, the Wall Street Journal reported that M&M’s will be removing two of its colors — blue and brown — from some bags as part of its transition from artificial to natural food dyes.

According to a Mars spokesperson, the company is introducing four product options made without synthetic dyes — M&M’s, Extra, Starburst and Skittles — which will initially be available exclusively through Amazon. The initial naturally colored M&M’s will not include blue and brown, but Mars is working toward offering naturally colored M&M’s in all six signature colors by 2028.

The move comes after Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. set his sights on the food dyes in popular snacks as part of his “Make America Healthy Again” (nicknamed “MAHA”) movement.

While the FDA didn’t technically ban artificial dyes, it has an “understanding” with food companies, according to Kennedy, but it’s unclear how enforcement works.

In last year’s “Make American Healthy Again” report, the authors, including Kennedy, claimed food dyes are associated with “behavioral issues in children,” though it did not establish a link between the two.

Some research suggests “certain children may be sensitive to them,” according to the FDA, so it’s continuing to monitor emerging research on the subject.

There is no other research in humans suggesting food dyes lead to health harm, Lindsey Taillie, Ph.D., nutrition epidemiologist at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill’s Gillings School of Global Public Health, told TODAY.com at the time. But some experts say food dyes can make ultraprocessed foods more appealing, which can lead to overeating and obesity.

For now, the naturally colored M&M’s will be sold only on Amazon, while the original, artificially colored M&M’s will remain where they are currently sold.

 

FRIED APPLE PIE BACK AT McDONALDS

It took nearly three and a half decades but it’s back.

It’s remained deep (fried) in the public’s hearts for years — and now it’s back on the table.

On June 16, McDonald’s announced its Fried Apple Pie is returning for the United States’ 250th Birthday.

The long-retired, deep-fried diva was replaced by the Baked Apple Pie in the ’90s, but is came  back to all-day menus on June 23 at participating restaurants nationwide, for a limited time.

McDonald’s says its OG apple dessert is made with a filling of “100% American-grown apples,” wrapped in dough and deep-fried for its distinctive flaky crust.

The crispy, vented, rectangular dessert was first released in 1968 and remained a popular menu item for decades. It was removed in 1992 when the chain changed the recipes of some of its deep-fried foods to slightly healthier versions.

For years, fans have yearned on social media for the return of the nostalgic treat.

“I don’t know why McDonald’s ever stopped this way of serving the product, because the baked one is garbage,” one Reddit user wrote earlier this year. “I was born in 1966 and McDonald’s has changed a lot since I was a kid.”