True or false: Red M & M's were discontinued for over a decade?

In 1976, Mars, the candy company that makes M&M's, eliminated the red version of the candies from their mix. This decision came as a result of public controversy surrounding a synthetic dye called FD&C Red No. 2, also known as amaranth. The dye was used in red food coloring and was linked to cancer in a 1971 Russian study.

Because Red No. 2 was used to color many food products in the U.S., the public demanded that the government confirm the dye's safety. The Food and Drug Administration's subsequent tests produced inconclusive results in humans (but found that it caused malignant tumors in female rats) . The FDA concluded that the food colorant could not be presumed to be safe for human consumption and banned it in 1976.

Red M&M's disappeared shortly after the FDA issued its ruling , suggesting they were one of the Red No. 2 culprits. But consumers never faced any risk from red M&M's. "The red food coloring in question was not actually used in M&M's chocolate candies," according to mms.com. "However, to avoid consumer confusion, the red candies were pulled from the color mix."

The red colored M&M's were reintroduced in 1987.