Why The McDonald's M&M McFlurry Almost Vanished Off Menus

The McDonald's McFlurry was the brainchild of Canadian franchisee Ron McLellan, who created it back in 1995 and served it with six flavors: Oreo, Smarties, Coffee Crisp, Crispy Crunch, SKOR, and Fudgee-O. Now an iconic menu item, this dreamy dessert features all sorts of yummy toppings from Reese's and mini M&M's to special limited-edition flavors, like cheesecake or S'mores. Surprisingly, despite the popularity of the M&M McFlurry, it almost vanished off menus a decade ago because the head honchos at Mars Inc. were concerned about its sugar content. According to Reuters, the candy company had made moves to limit the sugar in its products to match the World Health Organization's nutrition guidelines and was worried about how the creamy confection affected the image of the brand.

A regular-sized serving of a McFlurry with M&M's includes 62 grams of added sugars (these are sugars that are added during processing rather than the natural sugars already present in foods). According to the USDA, adults who consume a 2,000-calorie diet should not exceed 50 grams of added sugars, such as dextrose or sucrose, per day. This equates to around 200 calories per day that come from added sugars. The upshot? If you eat a single regular McFlurry, you'll easily surpass the 50-gram limit (however, a mini McFlurry with M&M's stays just within the bounds at 38 grams of added sugar per serving).

People who eat fewer than 2,000 calories a day should further cap the added sugars in their diet so they account for less than 10% of their daily calories overall. Meanwhile, children under the age of two, who need to meet their nutritional needs within a much smaller measure of calories, shouldn't consume added sugars at all to ensure their dietary requirements are met.

M&M'S debuted in 1941 and were first made for the U.S. military before they were rolled out to the general public four years later. The main ingredient in M&M's is sugar, followed by chocolate and skim milk. However, they also contain corn syrup and artificial colors like Red 40 and Yellow 5. Despite concerns that the M&M McFlurry exceeds the daily recommendation of sugar advised by the U.S. government, it wasn't removed from the menu and is still available today. One interesting fact about McDonald's McFlurries is that the burger chain phased out any artificial flavors originally used to make the ice cream back in 2016. Customers often complain that McFlurry machines rarely seem to be working, but it's more likely that the McDonald's ice cream machines are dirty rather than broken and are undergoing a cleaning cycle. The McDonald's McFlurry has evolved considerably over the years with the creation of several regional flavors, such as matcha, Cadbury Creme Egg, and even durian.