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M&M’s makers Mars will debut artificial dye-free candies in August in a Make America Healthy Again (MAHA)-compliant move after facing pressure from Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

But while the classic candy-maker was able to use natural sources like beets or turmeric to replicate colors like red and yellow, shades of blue have proven considerably more difficult and expensive to recreate naturally. 

Mars has been replicating blue and brown’s artificial coloring using spirulina extract, a concentrated blue-green algae powder, but the substance is prohibitively expensive.

Turmeric, for example, is available in bulk from most wholesalers for prices in the $9-$11 per lb. range. Spirulina, by contrast, can be significantly more expensive. The raw supplement can cost up to $20 per lb. at similar wholesalers, while the concentrated form most often used for food dyes is often priced at over $100 per lb. 

THESE POPULAR FOODS ARE AFFECTED AS COMPANIES ALIGN WITH TRUMP ADMIN’S ‘MAHA’ INITIATIVE

Furthermore, spirulina’s viscous nature has caused clogging in M&M’s factory spray nozzles and created film build-ups in manufacturing equipment, creating a potential safety and health hazard, The Wall Street Journal reported. 

The high costs associated with MAHA-ifying its products have driven Mars into a colorful dilemma, according to the Journal. Wanting to debut its altered product ahead of the company’s 85-year anniversary in August, Mars has spent millions in an effort to find alternatives.

Given the high costs of reproducing blue, Mars considered just rolling out a three-color mix of red, orange and yellow, but executives felt “the sunset vibes were too strong,” the Journal reported.

Anton Vincent, the leader of the company’s North American snacks division, told the Journal the replacement effort “was a daunting situation,” adding, “you’re messing with an 85-year-old icon.”

WALMART ELIMINATING SYNTHETIC DYES FROM ITS PRIVATE-LABEL FOOD BRANDS

Mars had originally announced a plan to offer artificial dye-free products in 2016, but reversed the decision after announcing customers didn’t seem to care. 

But, thanks to a Kennedy-led push to pressure companies to ditch artificial materials, Mars again announced in 2025 they would be pivoting to natural dye options. 

Kennedy Jr. has frequently criticized the use of artificial dyes in U.S. food products, calling them a key driver in numerous American health epidemics.

“When we look at these nine specific food dyes, the science shows a clear, undeniable link to behavioral disruptions in our kids and long-term cancer risks. We are systematically clearing them out,” he said in a 2025 press conference with West Virginia’s Republican Gov. Patrick Morrisey.

West Virginia became the first to sign into law a total ban on statewide sales of major artificial dyes in 2025.

Kennedy Jr.‘s HHS added Mars to a list of 27 corporations that have pledged to remove artificial food dyes from certain products in his office’s effort to eliminate petroleum-based food dyes from the U.S. food supply.

Federally, his office has formally banned four petroleum-based artificial food dyes, revoking Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorization for brominated vegetable oil (BVO), Red Dye no. 3, Citrus Red No. 2 and Orange B. 

Kennedy Jr. has also pushed hard to get companies to phase out six other specific dyes — Red 40, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Blue 1, Blue 2, and Green 3. 

His office has cited animal studies that linked consumption of specific artifical dyes to cancer risks and long-term behavioral dysfunctions. 

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The FDA cited the Delaney Clause, a provision requiring the institution to prohibit a chemical if it’s found to cause cancer in humans or animals, after banning Red Dye No. 3 in 2025. Numerous long-term animal studies found the chemical linked to cancer development in rats. 

FOX Business contacted Mars and HHS for further comment. 

In all industries, companies are making efforts to adopt digital solutions, automate processes, migrate to the cloud, and operate with data. Consequently, software development companies are now considered strategic partners rather than mere service providers.

If you need any custom platform, enterprise solution, mobile application, or product modernization, then software development firms in the UK should be your go-to choice owing to their technical skills, compliance practices, and foreign experience.

However, finding the right software developer is about more than evaluating their portfolio and price tags. Knowing exactly what professional software developers can deliver may prove to be useful for forming expectations.

Strategic Guidance Before a Single Line of Code

In many cases, companies initiate software development processes having a certain technical solution in mind. Companies that have years of experience usually start by questioning assumptions and making sure that a certain technical solution fits their goals.

In case you are going to upgrade legacy systems, it would be very beneficial for you to discuss this project with experienced professionals. You can learn more about finding an appropriate company from the following link: https://luminarybrands.co.uk/blog/software-development-companies-uk/.

Instead of rushing into the process of development, UK companies usually hold discovery sessions, meetings with stakeholders, and do a lot of technical analysis.

The Development Process: More Structured Than Many Clients Expect

Another widespread myth is that software development starts right away after signing the contract. However, reputable UK-based companies tend to use an appropriate delivery methodology that aims at minimizing risks and increasing transparency. The typical process could consist of the following stages:

• Discovery and requirements definition
• Solution architecture design
• UX planning
• Development iterations
• Testing and quality assurance
• Delivery and release management
• Support and optimization

During the development process, the client will have sprint reviews, demos, and progress reports regularly provided. Contemporary IT teams operate within the scope of agile methodologies, which allows evolving requirements without affecting the whole project.

In other words, this way of working enables businesses to validate their assumptions quickly and adapt their priorities based on new market realities. Moreover, it eliminates the need to wait for several months until the end of the project when stakeholders will be able to see how things look.

For big enterprise solutions, the development team might involve a solution architect, business analyst, developers, QA engineers, DevOps specialists, and a project manager.

Technical Expertise Across Modern Technology Stacks

The technology industry in the UK has built up a solid reputation in the realm of engineering. Several software companies are well-versed in multiple technologies, thereby enabling them to make recommendations in accordance with the needs of a specific project. Some examples of contemporary software partners include:

Area	Common Technologies
Frontend Development	React, Angular, Vue.js
Backend Development	.NET, Java, Node.js, Python
Mobile Development	Flutter, React Native, Swift, Kotlin
Cloud Infrastructure	AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud
Databases	PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB, SQL Server
DevOps	Docker, Kubernetes, Terraform

In addition to development frameworks, several UK-based firms have added other competencies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, cloud native technologies, cybersecurity, and data engineering.

Businesses must anticipate that their software development partner will translate any technology into business-related language. In essence, the most competent organizations should be able to connect architectural considerations to scalability, security, maintenance, and costs.

Communication Becomes a Competitive Advantage

The distinction between a good and bad outcome for an IT project is often defined by communication.

In the UK’s leading companies, transparency is highly valued. Clients usually get access to project management systems, sprint updates, development environment access, and stakeholder meetings.

Think about a project as a voyage on the sea. Without frequent navigation adjustments, even the most high-tech vessel will go astray. Communication ensures that everyone involved understands what direction the vessel takes in terms of business and project objectives. You should be able to rely on:

• Timelines and milestones
• Points of contacts
• Escalation plans
• Risk management processes
• Demonstrations of delivered products

All this provides stakeholders with the opportunity to take decisions based on the knowledge gained and eliminates surprises close to project completion.

UK IT companies can be very appealing to international clients because of their excellent English language skills and vast experience with distributed and international projects.

Security, Compliance, and Risk Management

A security vulnerability discovered after launch is often significantly more expensive to fix than one identified during development. Once an application is live, even minor weaknesses can lead to service disruptions, emergency development work, customer dissatisfaction, and regulatory scrutiny.

For this reason, reputable UK software development firms invest considerable effort in security planning throughout the project lifecycle. They evaluate risks before development begins, monitor security during testing, and verify that protective measures remain effective during deployment.

This disciplined approach reduces the likelihood of costly remediation projects while helping businesses maintain compliance and protect valuable customer data. As cyber threats continue to evolve, early security investment has become a practical business decision rather than a purely technical concern.

Modernization Has Become a Business Priority

Current software development projects revolve around the concept of modernization because many large enterprises utilize old platforms plagued by accumulated technical debts. Although these technologies are effective, they often prevent innovation and raise maintenance expenses. In addition, it is not easy to integrate such platforms into modern processes.

Areas of Transformation

Depending on the business needs and available technologies, companies approach modernization differently. For example, some businesses migrate to the cloud. They opt for the decomposition of monolithic applications to enable flexible scaling and easier system updates. Programmers upgrade programming languages, enhance the user interface and develop APIs to establish data exchange between systems.

Why Incremental Change Works Better

The misconception regarding modernization that persists even today is that old systems need to be wholly overhauled. However, practical experience from reputable software development companies in the United Kingdom indicates that it is rare for them to suggest such a complete overhaul. The reason is that most companies opt for implementing changes in phases.

Such an approach enables enterprises to modernize their critical systems without causing any disruption in their functioning. It gives organizations the time to test results, minimize risks, and make changes in their priorities. With businesses investing increasingly in cloud native applications, phased modernization emerges as an excellent option.

Life After Launch

One of the areas which are least considered during software development is the post-deployment stage.

The software cannot be considered an asset that will never change in the future because expectations of customers change, technology develops, and other business needs come up.

UK-based software companies tend to provide a range of services after the software release, including:

• Monitoring and maintenance
• Performance tuning
• Updating for security
• Managing infrastructure
• Adding features
• Support

Sometimes cooperation does not end right after the software launch because many businesses consider the development company a consultant that participates in further decisions on the products and digitalization.

This approach allows companies to stay competitive without burdening their internal resources.

Evaluating Success Beyond Delivery Dates

Launching software on schedule is important, but delivery milestones tell only part of the story. The real measure of success emerges after implementation, when organizations begin to see tangible business outcomes.

Operational impact. Effective software should make everyday work easier. Teams may spend less time on manual tasks, complete processes faster, and gain better access to information needed for decision-making.

Customer value. Successful projects often improve customer interactions through faster services, smoother user experiences, and more reliable digital products. These improvements can strengthen customer satisfaction and retention over time.

Business growth. Technology investments should support broader business objectives. Increased revenue opportunities, improved scalability, and lower maintenance costs are often stronger indicators of success than the number of features delivered.

The most effective software development firms keep these outcomes in focus throughout the project, ensuring that technical decisions contribute directly to measurable business value.

Final Thoughts

What UK software companies deliver besides programming services is strategic advice, technical direction, modernization, security know-how, and operational assistance.

Any business entering into a software development relationship will find processes, transparency, governance, and emphasis on business results as key characteristics. Be it a creation of a brand new piece of software or modernization of existing assets – a competent software development partner may make a difference for your company.

When businesses treat software firms as partners who share their interests, rather than just contractors working on specific projects, more success is possible. It can be particularly important now that the global economy is becoming more and more digitized.

The Wansbeck Business Park firm has issued new accounts showing its performance

Industrial lighting maker Raytec says the outlook looks “extremely positive” amid an increase in turnover.

The Ashington-based manufacturer, which employs close to 100 people in the town, says there is increasing global demand of its low-energy and low-maintenance LED lighting systems. New accounts for the Japanese-owned business, which specialises in lighting for hazardous areas, lighting for video surveillance, lighting for the transport sector and heavy industrial lighting, show sales grew 8.3% to £18.7m, from £17.3m in 2025.

Operating profits fell slightly from £2.8m to £2.6m as pre-tax profits grew from £3.05m to £3.2m. Ordinary dividends of £1.89m were paid during the year.

Raytec describes itself as a world leader in LED lighting for security and safety, with a focus on smart and connected lighting products fed by ongoing research and development efforts. It supplies products to international markets through a network of distributors, a US subsidiary and directly to other manufacturers with exports accounting for about 67% of sales.

Its main markets are Europe (52%), the Middle East (6%), America (19%) Oceania (11%) and the Far East (12%). The firm said it had grown its product portfolio during 2025 through investment, which is expected to benefit 2026 sales.

In November last year, it was announced Raytec had acquired Finnish portable lighting specialist Atexor. The Espoo-based business brought 21 staff to Raytec’s operation and strengthened its position, with Raytec bosses saying at the time that the move brought enhanced research and development capabilities and a wider support network.

Atexor, which was founded in the early 1980s, provides products used across the oil and gas, petrochemical and manufacturing sectors. It continues to operate as an independent company and brand following the acquisition.

Writing in the 2025 Raytec Limited accounts, managing director David Lambert said: “The company’s sales increased by 8.3% year-on-year and the long-term business outlook remaining extremely positive, with increasing global demand for high performance, low energy, low maintenance LED illuminators across the specialist niche markets in which the business operates.

“Year-on-year, sales have increased to £18.7m (2024: £17.3m) generating profit before tax of £3.2m (2024: £3m). The company has continued to strengthen its product portfolio through 2025 through investment in research and development and expects new products to contribute significantly to sales in 2026.”

This article was written by

Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have no stock, option or similar derivative position in any of the companies mentioned, and no plans to initiate any such positions within the next 72 hours. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.

Seeking Alpha’s Disclosure: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. Any views or opinions expressed above may not reflect those of Seeking Alpha as a whole. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank. Our analysts are third party authors that include both professional investors and individual investors who may not be licensed or certified by any institute or regulatory body.

“I am pleased to report that this process, which included extensive engagement with Ryanair’s largest shareholders, has successfully concluded with Michael agreeing to extend his leadership of the Ryanair Group for the next six years to April 2032, for the benefit of all shareholders,” he added.

US and Iran digitally signed a 14-point Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at France’s Palace of Versailles, a venue that has witnessed some of the most important diplomatic moments in modern history. The agreement aims to end hostilities between Washington and Tehran and sets a 60-day timeline for negotiations on a broader settlement.

The Versailles agreement includes commitments related to ending military operations, reopening the Strait of Hormuz, addressing Iran’s nuclear programme and beginning a process for sanctions relief and economic cooperation. The MoU also states that Iran will not pursue nuclear weapons.

The choice of Versailles as the venue has drawn attention because the palace is closely linked with another landmark agreement signed more than a century ago, the 1919 Treaty of Versailles, which formally ended World War I and later became one of the most debated peace settlements in history.

Why Versailles matters in world history

Located near Paris, the Palace of Versailles was once the centre of French royal power before becoming a symbol of diplomacy and international negotiations.

The palace has hosted several agreements that changed the course of global politics. But none is more famous than the Treaty of Versailles signed on June 28, 1919, between Germany and the Allied powers after the end of World War I.

The treaty officially ended the war but imposed strict conditions on Germany, including territorial losses, military restrictions and financial reparations. It also created the League of Nations, an early attempt to build a system to prevent future conflicts.

The Treaty of Versailles and the road to World War II

While the treaty was designed to prevent another major war, many historians argue that its harsh terms contributed to economic and political instability in Germany.The resentment created by the settlement was later exploited by Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party, helping fuel the rise of extreme nationalism. These developments eventually contributed to the outbreak of World War II in 1939.

Because of this historical legacy, Versailles remains both a symbol of peace negotiations and a reminder of how post-war settlements can influence global politics for generations.

Other major agreements linked to Versailles

The palace has been associated with several other important treaties over the centuries. The Treaty of Versailles of 1757 strengthened the alliance between France and Austria during the Seven Years’ War, reshaping European power politics.

The Treaties of Versailles of 1783 formed part of the settlement after the American Revolutionary War and helped adjust the balance between European powers.

Another agreement signed at Versailles in 1871 followed the Franco-Prussian War and marked a major shift in European power after the emergence of the German Empire.

Iran US Deal

The memorandum of understanding signed by US and Iran is being viewed as an attempt to bring an end to a costly confrontation and restore stability in a region that has faced months of tensions. However, analysts caution that the agreement remains vulnerable, with several major issues still unresolved and the possibility of fresh clashes threatening the progress made so far.

The deal, reportedly facilitated partly through Pakistan’s diplomatic efforts, focuses on immediate confidence-building measures. Under the framework, Iran would allow commercial movement through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important energy routes, while the United States would begin steps to withdraw naval pressure and ease restrictions.

What the Iran-US agreement includes

The proposed arrangement includes a phased easing of sanctions, the possible return of Iranian oil exports to international markets, and the release of some frozen Iranian financial assets. It also outlines a withdrawal of US forces operating around Iran within a specified period.

In return, Iran has committed to keeping the Strait of Hormuz open for commercial shipping for an initial period and has reiterated that it will not develop or acquire nuclear weapons. However, questions remain over long-term nuclear monitoring, enforcement mechanisms and how both sides will respond if either party believes the commitments are not being followed.

The agreement’s broad promise of removing sanctions has attracted attention because it appears to offer Tehran significant economic relief. Some analysts believe Washington’s willingness to make concessions reflects its desire to reduce its involvement in a prolonged regional conflict.

Strait of Hormuz holds the key

The reopening of the Strait of Hormuz has immediate global implications. The narrow waterway between Iran and Oman is a critical route for global oil and gas shipments, with a large share of the world’s energy supplies passing through it.

Any disruption in the region has the potential to affect fuel prices, shipping costs and inflation worldwide. The return of commercial vessels through the route has been seen as an early sign that markets may begin stabilising, though traders remain cautious.

The 60-day test

The biggest challenge for the agreement will be the next 60 days, during which Washington and Tehran are expected to negotiate a broader settlement.

Key questions remain unanswered, including how nuclear commitments will be verified, what guarantees will prevent a return to conflict and whether both sides can maintain political support for the deal at home.

Analysts describe the MoU as a starting point rather than a final peace agreement, with its success depending on whether both countries can convert the temporary measures into a lasting arrangement.

Israel’s role remains a major factor

A major uncertainty surrounding the agreement is Israel’s position. While the US and Iran have signed the framework, Israel has not joined the deal and has expressed concerns about Iran’s regional activities.

The agreement calls for an end to military operations across multiple fronts, including Lebanon. But continued Israeli actions against Iran-backed groups could create new tensions and risk triggering responses from Tehran or its allies.

The future of the deal may therefore depend not only on Washington and Tehran but also on whether other regional players accept the framework and avoid steps that could reopen hostilities.

A fragile path towards peace

The agreement has created an opening for diplomacy, but several risks remain. Military incidents, disagreements over sanctions, disputes around nuclear commitments or attacks involving regional allies could quickly derail the process.

The coming negotiations will determine whether the Versailles agreement becomes a historic turning point or another temporary pause in a long-running geopolitical conflict.

A historic venue for a modern geopolitical moment

The Iran-US agreement has now added another chapter to Versailles’ long diplomatic history. Supporters see it as a possible turning point between two long-time rivals, while critics have questioned whether the commitments will translate into a lasting settlement.

More than a century after the 1919 treaty, Versailles once again finds itself at the centre of a global diplomatic moment — carrying both the promise of peace and the lessons of history.