Seal
________________________________________________________________________





*FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*

July 16, 2025

www.texasattorneygeneral.gov




*PRESS OFFICE: (512) 463-2050*

[email protected]





 

*Attorney General Ken Paxton Announces Investigation into Food Company Mars for Deceptive and Illegal Practices *

 

AUSTIN – Attorney General Ken Paxton is announcing an investigation into Mars, Incorporated (“Mars”), which makes M&M’s and Skittles, for deceptive trade practices that violate Texas consumers’ rights.

 

In 2016, Mars publicly pledged to “remove all artificial colors from its human food products.” The company later chose not to remove the toxic dyes from products sold in the U.S. but "did" remove artificial colors from its products distributed in Europe.

 

Mars also falsely claimed that “artificial colors pose no known risks to human health or safety,” which could not be further from the truth as these dyes have been linked to a number of negative health outcomes, including Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), autism, and even cancer. Attorney General Paxton has issued a Civil Investigative Demand (“CID”) to obtain documents from Mars as part of the investigation.

 

“Mars must remove toxic artificial dyes from its U.S. food products not only to honor its public commitment and ensure that it stays on the right side of the law, but also because it’s the right thing to do,” said Attorney General Paxton. “It’s clear that the movement to remove artificial colorings from our food supply is making incredible progress, and it’s time for Mars to follow the lead of other companies like Nestle and Hershey by removing synthetic dyes from its products. For the health of Texans and all Americans, Mars must fulfill its 2016 pledge to get rid of these toxic ingredients.”

 

Attorney General Paxton has been a nationwide leader in fighting alongside Secretary Kennedy and President Trump to help Americans get healthier by holding accountable big food companies who violate the law and deceive consumers about their ingredients. For example, General Mills recently announced [ [link removed] ] that it would remove toxic artificial dyes from its products following an investigation by Attorney General Paxton.

   

###







Stay Connected with Office of Texas Attorney General on
Facebook [ [link removed] ] - X [ [link removed] ] - Instagram [ [link removed] ] - Email [ [link removed] ]

 Update your subscriptions, modify your password or email address, or stop subscriptions at any time on your Subscriber Preferences Page [ [link removed] ]. You will need to use your email address to log in. If you have questions or problems with the subscription service, please visit subscriberhelp.govdelivery.com [ [link removed] ].


________________________________________________________________________

This email was sent to [email protected] using GovDelivery Communications Cloud on behalf of: Office of Texas Attorney General ·300 W. 15th Street · Austin, TX 78701 GovDelivery logo [ [link removed] ]