Skittles are a type of candy produced and marketed by the Wrigley Company, a division of Mars, Inc.
They are multicolored fruit-flavored lentil-shaped candies with hard sugar shells imprinted with the letter ‘S’, similar to M&M’s which have the letter ‘M’.
The interior consists mainly of sugar, corn syrup, and hydrogenated palm kernel oil along with fruit juice, citric acid and natural and artificial flavors.
Skittles are sold in a variety of flavor collections, such as Tropical, Wild Berry, Brightside, Dessert, Sweet Heat, Smoothie and Sour.
Skittles were first made commercially in 1974 by a British company and were first introduced in North America in 1979 as an import confectionery.
Domestic production of Skittles began in the United States in 1982.
Are Skittles banned in California?
Skittles were not banned in California. However, a bill known as the “Skittles ban” was signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom on October 9, 2023.
The law prohibits the manufacture, sale, or distribution of four food additives that have never been approved for consumption by the Food and Drug Administration: brominated vegetable oil, potassium bromate, propylparaben and Red Dye 3.
These chemicals are used in as many as 12,000 food products across the country.
The legislation became known as the “Skittles ban” because an earlier version of the bill also targeted titanium dioxide, a coloring agent found in candies including Skittles and M&Ms, as well as some dairy products such as Kraft fat-free shredded cheddar cheese.
However, mention of titanium dioxide was removed when the legislation was amended.
Therefore, Skittles were spared from the ban, and the removal of titanium dioxide means that Skittles and other candies that use the chemical won’t have to make any changes or recipe tweaks to be compliant with California law.
California will officially ban Skittles and other candies from the state starting 2027 as Governor Gavin Newsom signed bill AB 418, also known as The California Food Safety Act.
The bill targets food products that contain the substances brominated vegetable oil, potassium… pic.twitter.com/zzLGp3vyel
— Daily Loud (@DailyLoud) October 10, 2023
Understanding the ‘Skittles ban’ bill
As mentioned above, the California Food Safety Act, was signed into law by Governor Newsom on October 9, 2023.
The law gives manufacturers until 2027 to alter recipes to account for the banned additives.
The legislation became known as the “Skittles ban” because an earlier version of the bill also targeted titanium dioxide, a coloring agent found in candies including Skittles and M&Ms, as well as some dairy products such as Kraft fat-free shredded cheddar cheese.
However, mention of titanium dioxide was removed when the legislation was amended.
Therefore, Skittles and other candies that use titanium dioxide won’t have to make any changes or recipe tweaks to be compliant with California law.
The bill affects about 12,000 food products across the country, including Peeps, most grocery store-made red velvet cupcakes and more.
The four additives banned by the law have been flagged for carcinogenic or other health risks.
The European Union already outlawed the four additives in question.
The bill was co-sponsored by Consumer Reports and passed with strong bipartisan support.
However, some critics argue that banning the chemicals is unnecessary and unscientific.
What are Skittles made from?
The ingredients of Skittles include sugar, corn syrup, hydrogenated palm kernel oil, apple juice, and natural and artificial flavors and colors.
Skittles consist of hard sugar shells imprinted with the letter ‘S’, similar to M&M’s which have the letter ‘M’.
The interior consists mainly of sugar, corn syrup, and hydrogenated palm kernel oil along with fruit juice, citric acid and natural and artificial flavors.
Skittles are sold in a variety of flavor collections, such as Tropical, Wild Berry, Brightside, Dessert, Sweet Heat, Smoothie and Sour.
The process of making Skittles candies typically includes creating a sugar syrup, adding flavors and colors, panning, shaping and cooling, final processing and packaging.
The process of making Skittles candies can vary depending on the recipe and method used.
What candies are banned in the US?
Below is a simplified table showing a list of candies that have been banned in the U.S. for one reason or another.
| Brand | Reason |
| Kinder Surprise Eggs | These candies were banned for safety reasons. They contain a plastic capsule inside the candy, which is considered a choking hazard. |
| Toxic Waste | This candy was banned in some schools and communities because of its name and packaging, which features a skull and crossbones. The candy is also extremely sour, which can cause mouth irritation. |
| Cherry Clan | This candy was banned in the 1960s because it contained a high level of lead. However, a loophole allowed the candy to be sold as "seasonings" because it was packaged in containers that looked like salt shakers. |
| Happy Cola | This candy was banned in some schools and communities because it contained caffeine. |
| Warheads | This candy was banned in some schools and communities because it is extremely sour and can cause mouth irritation. |
| Zotz | This candy was banned in some schools and communities because it contains a high level of citric acid, which can cause mouth irritation. |
| Toxic Sludge | This candy was banned in some schools and communities because of its name and packaging, which features a cartoon character covered in green slime. |
It is worth noting that some of these bans were put in place by schools or communities, meaning that the candy in question could still be found somewhere else in the U.S.
In other cases, the ban covers the entire country.
