How Many M&Ms in a Jar?
Introduction
Candy comes in all shapes, sizes, flavors, colors, and textures and is universally recognized all over the globe.
While there are literally thousands of different types of candy out there for candy lovers to choose from, it has to be said that some are more popular than others.
M&M’s, for example, are revered all over the world and have amassed a cult following over the decades.
They’re colorful, they’re sweet, they’re chocolatey, they’re peanuty, they’re crunchy, and they’re incredibly moreish.
While M&M’s are extremely moreish, people often wonder about their nutritional value, and rightly so.
As tasty as candy is, you can have too much of a good thing, and over-indulgence can lead to weight gain, a risk of diabetes, obesity, tooth decay, and more besides.
With M&M’s and candy of any sort, moderation is key which is why it pays to know your portion sizes. But what are M&Ms and how many M&Ms in a jar should you consume?
What are M&M’s?
M&M’s are a candy that should need no introduction, but we’re going to introduce them anyways.
M&M’s are small, multi-colored, circular-shaped chocolate candies featuring a white ‘m’ letter printed on one side, in lowercase.
They are made up of a sweet and crunchy colorful candy shell covering a filling that varies depending upon the variety of M&M currently being consumed.
The two most common and popular filling varieties, however, are milk chocolate and peanut.
M&M’s are one of the most popular varieties of candy on the market today that have been around for close to 100 years. Their branding and lovable oversized animated candy mascots are almost as recognizable as the candies themselves.
A brief history of M&M’s
Though the candies were officially launched in the 1940s, the origins of M&M’s can actually be traced all the way back to 1911, more than one century ago.
Frank C. Mars founded a company known as Mars Incorporated.
The company was located in Tacoma, Washington and was a small and humble confectionery company specializing in sweet treats.
Frank handed the reigns over to his son, Forrest Mars, Snr. While Forrest was abroad in the UK in the 1930s, he encountered British soldiers during the Spanish Civil War, who were eating small circular pieces of multi-colored candy during the hot summer months.
What really blew Forrest away, however, was the fact that he noticed how well the candies held up in the heat.
The candies, known as ‘Smarties,’ were developed by H.I. Rowntree and Company, and consisted of a milk chocolate filling coated in a hard and crunchy outer candy shell. They didn’t melt in the heat, and the colors barely ran.
Forrest moved back to the USA, looking to develop something similar. He patented the production of these candies and, unhappy with how his father was running things, sought out a new business partner.
He began working with Bruce Murrie, who was also the son of a confectioner, William Murrie, who was president of Hershey’s.
Mars met Murrie, they took Mars’ idea and ran with it, producing candies very similar to Smarties, under the name Mars & Murrie, or M&M for short.
The candies proved to be an instant hit with the U.S armed forces because they were so convenient and resisted hot temperatures so well. When the soldiers returned home, they wouldn’t stop singing the praises of M&Ms. This led to an increase in production, and the rest, as they say, is history.
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Interesting facts about M&M’s
We’ll get to how many M&M’s in a jar a little later on. First off, however, we’re going to learn a few interesting facts about these multi-colored candies that you probably weren’t familiar with.
Mars and Murrie fell out
Despite the two M’s getting along so well in the early days, as time passed by, the two business partners began to disagree on certain business practices.
Murrie initially took out a $1M buyout to be rid of Mars, though eventually, Mars would buy back the company under the Mars brand. The Hershey’s chocolate which had once been used, was phased out and replaced with Mars’ own recipe, which customers seemed to prefer.
Incidentally, Hershey is now one of Mars’ largest competitors.
There were no red M&M’s for more than a decade
Between 1976 and 1987, there were no red M&M’s.
This was because a Russian study conducted in the early 70s revealed that the red food dye used to make red M&M’s had apparently been linked with cancer and fetal death.
The FDA banned it in 1976, even though the red dye in question wasn’t used in red M&M’s.
Mars removed red candies to avoid confusion and to reassure customers.
In 1987, after studies found that the dye wasn’t, in fact, harmful, red M&M’s were back.
M&M’s were the first candies to go into space
Because M&M’s were so convenient and hardy, they were the perfect food for space travel.
1981, they became the first candy to be sent into space on the space shuttle Columbia.
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How many M&M’s in a jar?
Okay, so as it pays to know your portions, you will no doubt be eager to figure out how many M&M’s are found in a jar.
Well, one typical jar of M&M’s weighs around 62 ounces of candy. While the number will vary, this equates to roughly 1,750 M&M’s.
Different sized jars contain different amounts of candy. A rough figure, however, is between 1,700 and 2000 M&M’s.
Now that’s a lot of candy.
Peanut M&M’s are the most popular
Despite M&M’s originally being made as a milk chocolate snack, peanut M&M’s are currently the most popular variety.
While milk chocolate and crispy M&M’s are still popular, there’s just something about that chocolate, peanut, and sweet candy flavor that cannot be beaten.
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