Hello, I'm a confectionery enthusiast with a passion for the history and evolution of candies, including the iconic M&M's. When it comes to the colors of M&M's, there have been some changes over the years.

In 1995, M&M's held a "color vote" where the public was asked to choose which color to discontinue from the original seven colors. The colors at the time were red, orange, yellow, green, blue, brown, and tan. The result of the vote led to the orange M&M being discontinued in the United States. However, the orange M&M was reintroduced in 2002 as part of the M&M's anniversary celebration.

So, to answer your question: The orange M&M was the color that was discontinued, but it was later brought back.

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Red candies were eliminated in 1976 because of health concerns over the dye amaranth (FD&C Red #2), which was a suspected carcinogen, and were replaced with orange-colored candies. This was done despite the fact that M&M's did not contain the dye; the action was purely to satisfy worried consumers.read more >>