Red m&ms

Assalamu alaykum,

So I just discovered that m&ms aren't halal, at least the red ones aren't as they contain carmine - I was a little horrified because I absolutely adore m&ms and I could (and have) eaten bucketfuls of them as I assumed they'd just be halal, which is of course a mistake I'll learn from.

Anyway, I was discussing this a sister I know. As it is only the red ones which are not halal, would it be okay to just not eat the red ones and eat the other colours, or is it better to just not eat them altogether?

I was thinking there would be an issue about contamination, even if it is a dry food.

I'm just trying not to count right now the number of red m&ms I have eaten in my life .