M&M’s are small pieces of milk chocolate inside a thin, crunchy, coloured sugar shell, each printed with a small “m”. They were introduced in the United States in 1941 by Mars, Incorporated; the two Ms stand for Forrest Mars Sr. and Bruce Murrie. The shell keeps the chocolate from melting onto your fingers, which made them easy to carry.
SeekSnack has reviewed the plain Milk Chocolate version and M&M’s Peanut, launched in 1954, which wraps a whole peanut in milk chocolate before coating it.
The milk chocolate means M&M’s contain milk; the Peanut pack also lists peanuts and soy among its allergens. The bright shells use colours that include INS 129, 102 and 110, azo colours that carry a warning label in the EU.
