13 February 2008 – Blue Smarties are making a come back in the UK after a three years' absence, according to media reports.
Blue Smarties were dropped from Nestle’s hexatubes in 2005 due to concerns over the use of artificial colours. Although Nestle was able to re-create the seven other colours using natural alternatives, the blue Smarties proved more of a challenge.
Nestle has now found a way of dying Smarties blue using extract from the Spirulina seaweed.