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Texas Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton is launching an investigation into M&Ms and Skittles manufacturer Mars for alleged “deceptive and illegal practices” regarding the company’s use of artificial dyes in its candies.
In a statement sent to Fox News Digital, Paxton’s office tied the investigation to the attorney general’s effort to be a “nationwide leader in fighting alongside” Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and President Donald Trump’s Make America Healthy Again initiative to “help Americans get healthier by holding accountable big food companies who violate the law and deceive consumers about their ingredients.”
Paxton’s office is asserting that Mars’ alleged misrepresentation of artificial dyes in some of its candies, including M&Ms and Skittles, constitutes deceptive trade practices that run afoul of Texas consumers’ rights.
The attorney general further pointed out that while Mars continues to use artificial colors in its products in the U.S., it has stopped doing so in Europe.
AMERICA’S DAIRY FARMERS AND ICE CREAM PRODUCERS AGREE TO QUIT USING ARTIFICIAL COLORS
Left: Texas Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton. Right: Skittles (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan and Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
In 2016, Mars committed to removing all artificial colors from all its human food products, which at the time it said was “part of a commitment to meet evolving consumer preferences.”
The company said that though it believed “artificial colors pose no known risks to human health or safety,” it was making the change because “consumers today are calling on food manufacturers to use more natural ingredients in their products.”
Mars said that “against this backdrop, Mars will work closely with its suppliers to find alternatives that not only meet its strict quality and safety standards, but also maintain the vibrant, fun colors consumers have come to expect from the company’s beloved brands.”
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