The Reason All M&M's Are Stamped With A Tiny 'M'
Thanks to the genius of American businessman Forrest E. Mars, Sr., consumers around the world were introduced to some of their favorite candies.
Since the candies had become so popular in the 1950s, there were inevitable copycats who tried to recreate the crunch of a candy shell surrounding a drop of delicious chocolate. While this could have led potential customers astray to accidentally purchase a bag of fake M&M's, Mars had to think of a solution — and quickly. This is why M&M's are stamped with the unmistakably iconic lowercase "m." Following the "m" imprints, Mars, Inc. also introduced the slogan "Look for the m on every piece" to show those trying to emulate the iconic M&M that loyal fans would be able to tell the difference.
How are the M&M's stamped?
While the process of stamping the "m" onto the M&M candies confuses many, it is actually not a very complicated process. Factories that produce M&M's utilize a similar process to offset printing, which is commonly used to print images onto many different types of products prior to stamping on the end result.
As for M&M's, each lentil-shaped candy is placed on a conveyor belt where a roller lightly presses the letter onto its shell without breaking it. This effective method can give up to 2.5 million M&M candies their "m." Then, they're ready to eat (or to add as a secret ingredient to a delicious s'more or candy apple)!
There's no question that Mars made the right decision creating an edible trademark on their candy. In the years following the iconic "m" stamp, M&M's became the first candy in space and the official snack of the Olympic Games, just to name two of the treat's many accomplishments. M&M's can also be purchased in Asia Pacific, Australia, Europe, and Russia, spreading the original, authentic M&M across the globe.