The Great Peanut M&M Swindle



This candy is a fraud.



I like M&M’s - in fact, it’s probably my favorite candy after beer.  To me, it’s the perfect candy – just the right size so you can enjoy them one by one or by the handful.  Personally, I’ve always been partial to the plain or, as the call it now, the milk chocolate M&M and for years I have had many friends who have extolled the greatness of the peanut M&M.  While I don’t mind the peanut M&M, I always felt like they were a bit of a rip off.  Now, using some internet research (it was on the internet so it has to be true, right?) I will present my case that the peanut M&M is the greatest fraud perpetrated by a company on the American people.

Let’s start with the following facts:

• The average cost of a pound of chocolate is about $3.00
• The average cost of a pound of peanuts is about $0.21
• There are approximately 750 shelled peanuts in a pound

I think we would all agree that chocolate costs more than peanuts.  Simple math, right? Let’s continue:

• A 1.74 oz bag of plain or milk chocolate M&M’s contain about 75 candies
• A 1.74 oz bag of peanut M&M’s contain bout 22 candies

Folks, I know I went to Texas A&M but even I can see you get about 3 ½ times more candy in a bag of milk chocolate M&M’s than you do in the fraudulent yellow bag of peanut ones and EACH BAG COSTS THE SAME!  Again, let’s continue, using the information above:

• In a 1.74 oz bag of milk chocolate M&M’s, there is about $0.33 worth of chocolate
• Knowing that there is approximately 33% less chocolate per candy on a peanut M&M, there is about $0.21 of chocolate in a 1.74 oz bag of peanut M&M
• Given that there is an average of 22 candies in a bag of peanut M&M’s, there is approximately .46 oz of peanuts in the bag

Now, let’s breakdown the cost of each bag of candy.  For purposes of this highly controversial study, we will assume the same costs for the candy shell, packaging and distribution:

           Milk Chocolate             Peanut

Chocolate:                                       $0.33                            $0.21

Peanuts:                                          $0.00                            $0.01

Candy Coating:                              $0.01                            $0.01

Packaging & Distribution:           $0.02                            $0.02

Total manufacturing cost:           $0.36                            $0.25

Cost to store:                                 $0.50                            $0.50

Mars Company Profit:                 $0.14                            $0.25

I find it to be a travesty that the Mars family makes about $0.09 more per bag of peanut M&M’s. So many of you have been bamboozled into thinking that peanut M&M’s are a better value because of the miniscule protein content.  My friends and fans of the peanut M&M, you are getting fleeced by corporate greed.  From a materials perspective, peanuts are much cheaper than intoxicating chocolate and the Mars family is charging you a premium for substandard content.  I, for one, won't stand (or sit, loiter, meander or saunter for that matter) for it!  It's time for a revolution lovers of the peanut/chocolate combo!  Next time you have a hankering for a fistful of peanut M&M's, do yourself a favor: get yourself a five pound jug of Planters at your local Costco and mix them with your milk chocolate M&M’s – your palate and pocket book will thank me.

Lastly, before a bunch of get your knickers in a twist, I know this is a very simplistic view of the true cost of M&M’s so I’m not including MANY overhead items such as marketing, administration, facilities, R&D, etc.  My point was to show the disparity in terms of profit on the peanut M&M’s vs. milk chocolate M&M’s. 

I believe I have shown that the clear choice in terms of value is the milk chocolate variety of M&M.  And, don’t even get me started on the clearly inferior pretzel M&M as just the thought of it makes me insane.