The 405 Coffee Break with O.K. Solberg

The Candyman Can. 
Zoom back to 1976 with O.K. to the public controversy over food coloring dyes, like Red dye #2 and the effect on our beloved M & M's candy, over the years since then.. 

What is The 405 Coffee Break with O.K. Solberg?

Greetings and Welcome to The 405 Coffee Break with O.K. Solberg

New episodes tend to air over the local KMMR radio station @ 5 minutes past 4PM each M-F. And have been doing so, nearly every week since Sept 2018.

I'm D.J. Rasmussen, O.K.s friend since junior high, possibly your neighbor & this websites maintainer, whom strives to get each episode's show notes written, the transcript proofed and the audio posted to the internet within a few hours of that days KMMR air time. NOTE: recently been publishing most new releases by 4:30PM.

Thanks for visiting and I hope you enjoy the time we can spend together.

OK Solberg:

I wanna again welcome you to The 405 Coffee Break. Guys, get you a cup of coffee, glass iced tea, bottle of water, beverage of your choice. Let's see what's happening.

OK Solberg:

Spring wheat $5.66 a bushel. Five six six. A 550lb steer calf $5.10 a pound, I hope to shout. A butcher hog in Iowa 57¢ a pound, and a 100lb fat lamb in Billings will fetch you $2.69 a pound. But guys, there's more, much more.

OK Solberg:

March 4th. It's the March, and it's my father's birthday. Englald would have been 96 years old today. This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24 Birthdays are always a day to rejoice.

OK Solberg:

Who else has a birthday out there on March 4? Let me know. Okay. Okay. Today, I have a sweet tooth. Listen now. Alright, everybody. Gather around. The candy man is here. What kind of candy do you want? Sweet chocolate?

OK Solberg:

Chocolate walnut candy? Gumdrops? Anything you want. You've come to the right place because I'm the Candyman who can take a sunrise, sprinkle it with dew, cover it with chocolate and a miracle or two. The candy man. Oh, the candy man can.

OK Solberg:

The candy man can because he mixes it with love and makes the world taste good. And to quote, a delightful song that first came out in 1971 in the movie Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. And the very next year, Sammy Davis Jr. made it into a wonderfully tasty hit, 1972. Yep.

OK Solberg:

That's right. The year the Malta Mustangs won their second state basketball championship. So with me having a sweet tooth, let me tell you what I found. Did you know I bet you knew this. M and M's are small candy coated chocolates, but did you know that they were first introduced in 1941 by the Mars company later known as Mars Incorporated?

OK Solberg:

Of course, you all knew about m and m's, but listen to this. In 1976, Mars stopped producing red colored m and m's. What? Yeah. They did.

OK Solberg:

Now this removal was directly linked to a public controversy over food coloring called FD and C red dye #2 That dye had been widely used in foods and had been associated with cancer in some studies, including studies that reportedly found tumors in animals. In response, the US Food and Drug Administration otherwise known as FDA, not to be confused with member FDIC. FDA banned red dye number two in 1976 as it could not be confirmed safe. So listen now.

OK Solberg:

Mars never used dye, red dye #2 in m and m's. Instead, their red m and m's used other dyes that were FDA approved and considered safe such as red dye #3 and red dye #40. Mars voluntarily removed the red pieces anyway. Yes. Not because there was a documented health risk in their product, but to avoid consumer confusion and concern about red colored foods in the midst of the dye scare.

OK Solberg:

When red m and m's were removed in 1976, Mars added orange, orange m and m's to the mix of colors alongside brown, yellow, green, and tan to keep the product visually appealing. Over time, the absence of red pieces became noticeable to consumers. And at least one grassroots effort started as a humorous campaign. They called it Society for the Restoration and Preservation of Red M and M's headed by Paul Heathman. It started out silly, but it gathered media attention, press coverage, and consumer letters due to the public demand and nostalgia.

OK Solberg:

Mars announced, drum roll please, in January 1987 that red m and m's would return to the standard m and m color mix. The red candies were reintroduced using FDA approved red dyes such as red dye #40 and red dye #3. Now the orange pieces that had replaced red were kept in production along with red and the other colors. So always remember and never forget that M and M didn't have red colored pieces in the years 1976 through part of 1987. Just thought you'd like to know.

OK Solberg:

So until next time as you go out there, remember now, don't be bitter.