The Real Reason M&M McFlurries Nearly Disappeared

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By Boshika Gupta/March 10, 2021 11:12 am EST

If there's one thing that McDonald's does right in terms of fast food, it's the fact that it offers solid comfort food to its customers. Whether you're looking for a good old burger or a plate of delicious fast food fries, the brand doesn't disappoint. One of the most-loved items on the menu is of course, the McFlurry, a delicious dessert that's guaranteed to satisfy your sweet tooth.

Here's a fun fact: McDonald's came up with the McFlurry in Canada. The dish was invented by a franchise owner called Ron McLellan in 1995. The dish somehow really took off and earned a fan following for its unique flavors. In fact, the dessert is now so popular that it has several international variants. For example, in Japan, you can get your hands on the Matcha McFlurry. Wait, what? Or try the Cadbury Creme Egg McFlurry in the U.K. for a much-needed change.

Hold on. Did you know that for as popular as McFlurries are right now, one of the classic items — the M&M McFlurry — was almost taken off the menu at one point? This is why.

Mars almost pulled the plug

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As reported by Reuters, the chocolate-making company, Mars, considered removing M&Ms from several dishes including the McFlurry in 2016. The company was basically concerned about the amount of sugar in such desserts and felt that it wasn't doing justice to its customers. The company had announced that it would make sure that it educated consumers about consuming sugary treats in moderation and reduce the amount of sugar in its products.

With that in mind, Mars considered eliminating M&Ms from items like McFlurries, the Snickers pie from Burger King, and Dairy Queen's Blizzard. Thankfully, this didn't quite pan out and M&Ms McFlurries didn't disappear from the menu. But full disclosure: this isn't the best flavor offered by McDonald's, as per online reviews. As a Spoon University piece pointed out, the M&M McFlurry is nice but not mind-blowing. Something like Oreo McFlurries, though? Guaranteed to cause an explosion of delicious flavors in your mouth. Yummy!