I don't eat a ton of candy but do like peanut M&M's

I just wanted to check that I'm not going crazy here; the past two times I've eaten them I could have SWORN they changed them. They don't taste the same or have the same texture. Almost like the chocolate was replaced with an imitation chocolate or something. Not good.

Has anyone else experienced this?

I love them and have not noticed a change.

I eat them, but have not lately. A Google search said this, which pretty much matches your thoughts...

"Yes, some consumers have reported a change in the taste and texture of Peanut M&M's, with some describing the chocolate as tasting less like milk chocolate and more like dark chocolate or sugar. Others have noted a change in the size and appearance of the peanut and a less shiny, "cheap" looking candy shell. These changes have led to speculation that the formula or ingredients have been altered."

No change to this chocoholic! I can eat a whole share size bag with no problem or regrets!

I used to get the dark chocolate ones, but they've been discontinued.

I eat them regularly and haven't noticed the change. Yet. Candy makers are up to all kinds of antics trying to mitigate the price of chocolate.

Source: GEMINI AI

It seems you're not alone in thinking that Peanut M&M's taste different! While Mars hasn't made any widely announced, official recipe changes to the standard Peanut M&M's recently, there are a few factors that might contribute to your perception:

Subtle Recipe Tweaks: Food companies sometimes make minor adjustments to ingredients or processes that aren't widely publicized. These could be due to ingredient availability, cost, or even slight shifts in manufacturing equipment.

"No Artificial Flavors" Change: Some consumers on Reddit have noted that packages bought recently have a "no artificial flavors" line, whereas older packages listed artificial flavors. This could definitely impact the taste.

Ingredient Quality/Supply Chain: As one user on a forum pointed out, during times of supply chain disruptions (like those experienced in recent years), manufacturers might use slightly different suppliers or qualities of ingredients, which could lead to subtle taste variations.

Personal Perception and Memory: Our taste buds and memories of how something "used to taste" can be very powerful. Over time, a candy might seem different simply because our preferences or sensory experiences have changed.

Limited-Edition Flavors: M&M's does release limited-edition flavors, such as the "Toasty Holiday Peanut" M&M's. If you happened to try one of these, it would certainly taste different from the classic.

While there's no definitive statement from Mars about a major recipe overhaul for the classic Peanut M&M's, it's clear that many consumers have noticed a difference.

quote:

Originally posted by bdylan:
I eat them regularly and haven't noticed the change. Yet. Candy makers are up to all kinds of antics trying to mitigate the price of chocolate.

I think that is what was going on here with the ones I ate. Instead of it being a true milk chocolate it was almost like they were trying to use cocoa powder and oil to make a chocolate-like substance. They tasted more like cocoa than milk chocolate, very strange.

Perhaps you got some that were produced by disgruntled employees at the soon to be shuttered Chicago facility. Their other facility in Hackettstown New Jersey....well, not much good comes out of Joisey. That leaves Elizabethtown PA (my former home!) and Cleveland Tennessee. Both family reliable operations.

I don't recall any change, but I see this as an excuse to go get some. For science's sake.

Regardless, I've always been a bigger fan of the peanut butter M&Ms, with peanut being a close second.

I prefer the peanut ( actually won’t even bother eating the plain) and bought some last week. Didn’t taste any difference myself.

I did enjoy some of the multiple variations that have had limited availability from time to time like the almond ones. But sometimes I think that stuff gets a bit out of control.

I will say if you visit a foreign country ( I recently was in Europe for a couple weeks) you will often find the taste very different as some things produced locally may have very different ingredients or production methods

I eat them a lot. You're not going crazy. They changed the spec on the size of the peanuts. The peanuts are a lot smaller which equals less chocolate, but the candy coating is still the same thickness. It throws the flavor profile, that we've been used to for decades, way off.

Actually the wife and I have had the same thought - we usually get the large container from costco, lasts a considerable amount of time unless we have a lot of visitors, and the most recent batch isn't as tasty - bonus to that is we eat less, so i guess they'll last longer

Had some last week and noticed a change but slight.

quote:

Originally posted by Johnny 3eagles:...
While there's no definitive statement from Mars about a major recipe overhaul for the classic Peanut M&M's, it's clear that many consumers have noticed a difference.

The no longer come from Mars. They now come from Uranus...

I used to. Then a friend sent me a video of somebody cracking one open and splitting the peanut inside in half, to find a worm in it. Now I eat he plain ones or the peanut butter ones.

quote:

Originally posted by pace40:
I eat them a lot. You're not going crazy. They changed the spec on the size of the peanuts. The peanuts are a lot smaller which equals less chocolate, but the candy coating is still the same thickness. It throws the flavor profile, that we've been used to for decades, way off.

Wouldn’t a smaller peanut result in more chocolate? At least if the overall size is the same.

I think PASig is secretly an M&M Mars salesman and his numbers are down this quarter.

quote:

Originally posted by honestlou:
At least if the overall size is the same.

That's just it. The overall size isn't the same. They are substantially smaller than they were even a year ago. The candy to chocolate ratio has increased because if it. More candy taste, less chocolate taste.

It may be time to just buy Virginia peanuts and artisan chocolate and just integrate in mouth.