New England Confectionery Co. thought it could make its old-fashioned wafer appeal to a modern, health-conscious consumer by coloring and flavoring it with all natural ingredients such as cabbage and beets.

Instead, sales of Necco Wafers fell 35 percent.

“There were stacks and stacks of letters and e-mails that said, ‘Why did you do this? You ruined it,’ ’’ recalled Steve Ornell, Necco’s vice president of sales.

Less than two years after going all natural, the Revere company has gone back to its original recipe in hopes of recouping lost sales and loyal fans of the 164-year-old candy. The chalky, sugary candy that comes in eight colors is once again made of artificial dyes and flavors.

Steve Almond, the Boston author of “Candyfreak: A Journey Through the Chocolate Underbelly of America,’’ which includes a chapter on Necco, said the disastrous debut shouldn’t have come as a surprise.

“For kids, it’s about bright colors and lots of sugar, not about healthy options,’’ he said. “And even when it comes to adults, candy remains a childish pleasure. There’s a big nostalgia element here, as well. If you loved Neccos as an old-time candy, the idea of an updated version feels wrong.’’

Just ask lifelong fan Jackie Bowden, owner of Billy Boy Candies in New Bedford.

“The colors were bland. The taste was bland,’’ said Bowden, 66, who stopped eating the all-natural wafers. “My theory is that if it wasn’t broken, it shouldn’t have been fixed. They proved it.’’

Bowden is also a distributor of Necco Wafers to other retailers, and the switch, she said, hurt every aspect of her business.

“Once people started trying it, they weren’t buying anymore,’’ she said. “There were no repeat sales, and customers said it was lousy. No one was happy.’’

Michael F. Jacobson, executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, which advocates for legislation that eliminates artificial dyes in all US food products, said companies like Necco would have more support in switching to natural products if there were legislation to back them.

“The unfortunate experience indicates the need for national action,’’ he said. “People’s perceptions would change if artificial coloring were removed from all foods.’’

The Necco Wafer dates back to 1847 when English immigrant Oliver Chase invented the lozenge cutter enabling him to make the candies. The cutter is believed to be the first American candy machine, and Union soldiers during the Civil War carried the candies, then known as “hub wafers,’’ according to Necco.

In 1901, Chase merged his business with two other companies to form the New England Confectionery Co., and about a decade later the wafers adopted the “Necco’’ name.