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Tuesday, September 20, 2005
Head-to-Head: Smarties vs. M&Ms Yes, in the continuing quest to not only bring you the best and worst candies in the world, I’m going to educate you on the subtleties between our seemingly identical candy choices. Today I’m tackling the UK product, Smarties, which is made my Nestle and the American product M&Ms which are made by Mars.
 First, a little background (some of this I only know vaguely so feel free to correct me). M&Ms were originally developed as a candy for soldiers to give them quick energy in combat situations and be easy to carry. Some people wonder what M&M stands for, and many think it’s for the Mars brothers, but in reality it’s Forrest Mars, Sr. and Bruce Murrie. Murrie’s father was one of Hershey’s trusted partners at the company and provided the chocolate inside M&Ms until the 70s. As with most UK treats under the Nestle name, they were originally made by Rowntree which was later swallowed up by the growing Nestle corporation. Developed several years before the M&M, Smarties are still one of the most popular candies in the UK. The UK version are purported to have orange chocolate flavored orange Smarties (and back when there was a brown Smartie it was mocha flavored) but I am using Canadian Smarties for this head to head.
 First, Smarties are slightly bigger than M&Ms. An M&M is approximately 1 cm in diameter while the Smartie is 1.5 cms.
 However, the Smartie is slightly flatter than the M&M. I didn’t weigh them.
 The most noticeable difference between the two is the candy shell. The Smartie shell is much thicker and has a very pronounced crunch to it. It also seems to have a flavor. When I looked at the ingredients for the Smarties, I saw that there is wheat flour (and cornstarch & sugar) in the shell whereas the M&M shell is made only of sugar, cornstarch and color. The Smartie has a slightly graham cracker taste to it. It’s pleasant and perhaps a little cinnamonny (I know there’s no cinnamon in it). The M&M provides more chocolate punch. I guess geometry would tell me that even if the mass of the Smartie is the same as an M&M it still has more shell by virtue of being less spherical. As appearances go, they’re both exceptionally pretty candies. Given a choice between the two, I prefer less shell and more chocolate. In reality I usually buy Almond M&Ms more often than the plain ones, but if someone puts a bowl in front of me, I can hardly resist. But I can see that there would be times that I’d crave the cookie-like taste of the Smarties. POSTED BY Cybele AT 8:16 am
 
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Meticulously photographed and documented reviews of candy from around the world. And the occasional other sweet adventures. Open your mouth, expand your mind.
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COPYRIGHT NOTICEAll content (text and photos unless otherwise credited) is copyright 2005-2012 by Cybele May Please do not use my photos without prior permission directly from me, they represent what I ate in preparation for these reviews and are not to be used for other purposes. Design by Hop Studios & backend by Expression Engine
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I luv m&ms; thay r soo yummy
I always thought Smarties were those kinder sour tabs I get at Halloween, the ones that make your brain bigger.
M&Ms; are, maybe, the most addictive candy, ever.
Yeah, that’s what I know Smarties as….
But hey, different type of M&M-ish candy. I’m up for it!
Think I can get these in PA?
What a fantastic post—I’ve often challenged people to describe these differences, but all that most people can do is to say that Smarties are a little bigger and flatter than M&Ms;. Good to know there’s more to it than that!
Those Smarties sound pretty good. Hey, have you ever had caramel M&Ms;? I don’t think they exist anymore, but a friend of mine gave me a bag about three years ago. Oh, they were good, albeit a little too sweet.
They used to have dulce de leche M&Ms;. Allegedly it was to appeal to the Hispanic market in the US.
They also had white chocolate Smarties in the UK with pastel colored shells. They were exceptionally pretty.
ive seen pastel type smarties here in canada in the bulk food store. the smarties i know( since im american) are the sweet tart kind. Have you done a wonderbar yet? Great candybar from canada.
Being in Canada, I have easy access to both Smarties and M&M’s, and I don’t have a clear preference. They’re very different candies, and sometimes I would feel like having one and somtimes I would feel like having the other. By the way, I hope you’re okay with me putting a link to your site on my foodie blog (http://nancyland.blogspot.com). I love your blog!
Randi - I’ve never had a wonderbar, but you may now consider it on my list!
Dumpling_girl - glad you’re reading! I’ve been browsing your site for a couple of weeks now and even sent my husband there to look around before his recent trip to Vancouver so he’d know where to eat (or where not to, as the case may be).
I agree that most candies may seem similar to outside observers, but many of us not only can tell the difference but are able to like them both the same.
Hi, just found your yummy blog and will be linking to it. I must say the dark chocolate M&Ms; are amazing. I had them in Ohio back in May. Alas, I haven’t been able to get any since and have been settling for dark chocolate Hershey Kisses for a quick dark chocolate fix. But I do love regular M&Ms;.
Wow-people like me who LOVE candy and are passionate about it!
When I lived in Michigan, I’d travel to Canada just to buy Smarties! The BIGGEST difference is the chocolate—Smarties (Nestle) is very milky, much more creamy whereas M& Ms are more semi-sweet chocolate. I used to prefer Smarties, but I find that it all depends what kind of choclate taste you feel like having. Now, I know of local places that sell Smarties, plus of course the web, and getting friends to buy it for me when they travel overseas!
Have a yummy year—has anyone heard of Dulce de Leche M&Ms; ever coming back? I’ve repeatedly contacted M&M/Mars and have gotten nowhere.
Thanks!
Does anyone know where I can buy white chocolate Smarties (not the bar)?
Don’t forget the big difference: orange-shelled Smarties actually have an orange flavour.
Smarties vs. M&M’s ... what a challenge!
I guess I will just have to go out and buy both and spend the day testing them ...... BRB.
Excellent review. I think you may have missed out a little by using Canadian Smarties, though; the orange-flavored chocolate in the orange Smarties adds a mysterious delight to the occasion. Especially if you’re munching quasi-mindlessly, it’s a sporadic jolt of pleasure.
I think that this is amazing having a web with the differences. I talked my English teahver into letting us do a project on this and i am most definately using this site. My mom didnt think there was a difference but i guess i proved her wrong.
CANT YOU GIVE ME M& M’S
I was looking for ingredients in nestle easter eggs and found this article on S’s and m’s , I read that the smarties had wheat in them and the m and ms did not… I was looking because my dad nearly died this past xmas because of eating wheat for 60 years and it almost killed him, its called celiac disease and the wheat intolerance gradually rips away all the little hairs in the intestines that help to pass the food thru. he basicallly was starving to death,from the food not getting thru his system,it was just building up and then bleeding out the intestines into other surounding tissue causing his to puff up from the feet up…thank gooodness some doctor recognized this very rarely known disease that causes much distress. So gluten free candy is good,cause he was not happy yo have to give up choclate cake and bread and all that.hope fully companies will be more carefull with what they put in the things we love so much…
I LOVE SMARTIES more than M&M. They don’t sell smarties in the states.. bummmer…
Hi Derek,
Actually, you can find Smarties in the States. I’d check out your gourmet food stores and sometimes the mall bulk candy stores have them. If not, you can buy Smarties online.
hi ithink m&m’s are better
Hi,
A query on the original Mars product. I’ve heard the Mars bar was first, as a high-energy food for soldiers. An unsubstantiated observation is that the modern warrior can look measurably more butch while eating a chocolate bar rather than a handful of candies. Also the bar is easier to hold in one hand whilst firing a machine gun with the other. The bar’s wrapper can be bitten through in the same manner as pulling the pin on a Hollywood grenade with the teeth, although in the heat of the moment one has to be careful not to throw the opened candy at the enemy.
Penny
I love both of them M&Ms; and smarties. I’m also into this healthy product Rice and Shine.
Might I add that Smarties come in pink and purple; M&Ms; don’t.
I was born in Bermuda and used to eat Smartie’s as a kid but when I moved to the States I fell in love with M&Ms;. But I missed my Smarties and whenever I visited Bermuda I always bought a “tube” of Smarties. Whenever my relatives from Bermuda visit me in the US they’ll bring me a bag, tube or tubes of Smarties of I won’t allow them in the country. My folks visited Bermuda this past Christmas and they brought back some Smarties for me, which were gone in a few days. Too bad they don’t sell Smarties in the US and I’d have to visit Canada to get my favorite candy. Anyway, I’ll have to settle for M&Ms;, which are great candies also.
mmm….luv em’ so good
I have a major peanut allergy and can’t eat m&m’s because they may contain peanuts, but smarties don’t. T had them first and Canada when I was like five and never forgot about them. However, I could never find them here in America and always craved them. I finally found them at an imported food store abd almost buy them out of them everytime I go. I LOVE SMARTIES!!!!
M&Ms; have nothing on Smarties! Smarties are fantastic and will always be the best. The only place I’ve been able to find them in the US is on the Internet which is probably why there are any people here who are voting for the m’s - They’ve never tried Smarties!
M&Ms; is my favourite drug. It really give huge amount of enery. I experienced it.
Well I was introduced to Smarties when I went on a business trip to Toronto and I fell in love! I guess it is the different taste in the shell that gives them a flavor that I enjoy more than M&M’s.
It is possible that because they are new to me I am just enjoying the change of pace. I have not tried the orange flavored Smarties but I do look forward to the day when I will!
I just got back from Canada and came home with a new treasure - Peanut Smarties! I’ve never seen them before. I thought they were very different then the regular smarties and popped on here to see if there was a post done comparing Peanut M&Ms; with Peanut Smarties. There was not. If you haven’t tried them you should, I’d be interested to see what you have to say.
I live in Australia and am currently doing year 11 at school. My English class is focusing on persuasive arguments and as a matter of fact a friend and I have chosen our topic to be M&Ms;are better than Smarties. I have actually used some of your information and am greatly appreciative of this particular site, do not worry I have referenced your page, so that others may also be influenced to like M&Ms;more than Smarties. Thanks heaps!
There is a running joke b/t all my friends and family that whoever is in a part of the world where there are smarties, they have to bring some back for me (I live in Los Angeles). I love smarties so much, and I can’t wait to go to Canada later this summer to stock up! I did find it really interesting that the smarties from the UK had flavors, but the ones from Canada don’t… something to think about. Thanks for the article!
Have you ever come across the original packaging, a tube of Smarties? The little plastic lids have a letter on them, presumably designed to tempt kids into munching their way through an entire alphabet.
I’ve also heard that the letters are to encourage smartness, but I couldn’t swear to that.
Hence the old joke—what do you call a London Underground train full of Oxford graduates? A tube of Smarties.
I LOVE SMARTIES. First had them in Bermuda in 67. I was 12 at the time. Every time we were in Bermuda, Canada or in UK I got them. I have now found shops in NYC British of course that carry them.
I would take Smarties any day over M&M;
I love Smarties! Whenever I go to Canada I buy them. First had them back in the ‘70s when I was a kid (in Canada). It is a preference thing, and I prefer the thicker, flavored shell and sweeter, milkier taste of Smarties to the more semi-sweet, stronger flavor of M&M;‘s.
Where can you buy the Canadain WonderBar Candy Bar?
I’m a total Smartie fan, love them. I have to have friends stock up for me when they visit Canada. M&Ms;get too sweet for me, i can eat a whole box of smarties and not get that sick feeling.
When I was young I lived in England for 3 years. 1967 - 1970. I ate Smarties in place of M&M;‘s and I loved them. I only wish we could purchase Smarties here. When I get a package from a friend in Australia she includes a small tube of Smarties and I devour them. Smarties RULE. They are SO much better than M&M;‘s.
I love Smarties they taste much better than M&M;. The difference is clear. I use to eat smarties as a kid back home in Nigeria, but when I moved to the US I could not find any. Recently, we went to visit some family members in Canada and I realized they have Smarties. I bought a 48 pack back to the US. I finished it all by myself within 2 days. My seven years old Daughter is allergic to milk so she cannot have any, but she keeps telling me that I would get a stomach pain, but It did not.
IM FROM THE STATES, AND EVERYTIME I GO TO CANADA I HAVE TO GET SMARTIES, THEY ARE THE BEST THING TO HAPPENED TO THE WORLD.
Smarties and M&M’s are two different candies. Just b/c they are both circular with a hard shell does not make them comparable!
I get Smarties whenever I go to Bermuda, which is not often enough! Smarties are definitely better than M&M’s. The shell has a nice flavor, and the chocolate is milky. I wish I had some right now!
Is there a site to order them for a reasonable price?
I love, love, love, love, love Smarties, but sadly, I live in the middle of the States, so I couldn’t even go close to the border just to get some. I looked it up, and from where I live, it’s like a 12 hour drive to the border. I don’t know if I would do that just for Smarties. Oh well. Just have to wait til Christmas, I guess. I get some every year for Christmas from my grandparents who still live in Canada. Yum!
SMARTIES ARE THE BEST.jUST HAD SUM LAST NIGHT.HAVENT HAD SUM IN 2 YEARS.N IM THINKING BOUT ORDERING 50 CASES OF EM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
i am english and i live in the USA but smarties are way better than M&m’s
Here in Ozstraylia, we are rucky enough to have bof.
I does eat them all the time, so i am wat you call an expert.
Smarties are my fav, hence why i spells so goode. M&Ms; are for peoples that don’t spells to goode.
in ozstraylia smarties are carried in kangaroo pouches, and m&ms; are carried in Koala pouches. so sometimes its tough to get them, because kangaroos are fast and hoppys, and koala live far up the trees.
perf here, is the worst place to get smarties. because everybody eats kangaroos! and when i go to the straylia shopp to buy me smarties all that is left over are M&Ms; hence why smarties are clearly the best.
i always liked the smarties better than m&m’s because i was a Nestle consumer,and anything chocolate they made was always better. today, with the benefits of dark chocolate, i am afraid that i converted to hershey’s.
Thanks for this info. My kids are always asking me what the difference is between the two. My only answer was, one has an M on it the other doesn’t.
I too prefer the m&m’s with Almonds, but my kids will take either one that they can get.
Plain M and M’s always do weird things to my throat. It always makes me feel like my throat is closing up so, I avoid them. I’m glad I tried Smarties as they do not do this.
I get mine at a Irish imports store or online at a British import place. I’m a couple hours from Canada so I won’t be making that trek anytime soon.
hi i hate mms
i want so many pounds of m&ms; all over my body i want to eat them off my man
Love your site, interesting indeed. Thanks for doing this =) Learned new stuff. And I am like you - prefer the more chocolatey M&Ms; =) With almonds even better, but any nutty, plain etc will do! Hahaa!
EVERYBODY KNOWS SMARTIES POWNS MnMS ASS. I JUST CANT GET ENOUGH OF SMARTIES
I have always loved Smarties, but they are definitely a different candy than the M and M. I always thought of them more like a sour cream chocolate (if you have ever had sour cream chocolate cake, you know whereof I speak…).
I love the new natural colors!
For the first time I had UK Smarties today instead of Canadian ones…I finally got to taste the orange chocolate ones! Canada should do that, too. I would be all for the light brown coffee ones coming back, too. Mmmmm
I have to avoid Smarties because of the gluten in them (damn!), but I used to love eating them. I would get lots of small boxes in my trick or treat bag at Hallowe’en. For years I assumed that the U.S. had them too.
I have never understood the appeal of M&Ms;. They have always tasted very chemically to me.
In Canada we get both but I honestly prefer M&M’s over Smarties. I found a store near me that carries American chocolate bars…Twix BP, Dark Chocolate Mind 3 Muskateers, and 3 Muskateers Truffle Crisp. My last trip there, I came over with almost $30 in chocolate!!!!!! Yup, just from those 3 kinds. I always buy bags of the red and green M&M’s at Christmas to put out on the table, the last time I bought Smarties, they didn’t really get eaten. Put out the M&M’s and I have to open another bag quick!
I prefer smarties personally, and smarties are of course easier to package and resell in my store as the candy is not branded.
Smarties rule, simple.
lols, I didnt know that smarties were from UK. It was my childhood candy when I used to live in the Philippines, and i thought it was only made over there. I remembered those cylinder-carton casings with plastic caps and I used to poke the bottom of the carton casings
I always wondered why I haven’t seen it here in U.S though, but i think i know why. They were definitely the best candies though,I hope they have it in every store here in California specially when its almost Halloween.
I would rather have M&M’s than Smarties!
Smarties taste more like candy. M&ms; taste more like chocolate. I’d have to go with the m&ms;
M&M are the best smarties cant beet that
Maybe smarties are good but they can’t beat M&M’s
Smarties copied M&M’s.Mars invented it before NESTLE invented Samrties
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