*The Hershey Company is making a significant pivot after drawing fire over ingredient substitutions in several of its well-known products. The candy maker has pledged to bring back “classic milk and dark chocolate recipes” by 2027, Bloomberg News reports. The company is also giving Kit Kat a refresh centered on a richer, creamier chocolate.
The overhaul will impact less than 3% of Reese’s overall product range. Alongside the chocolate restoration, the company has committed to stripping all artificial colors from its lineup before the end of 2027. A driving force behind the shift is Brad Reese, grandson of H.B. Reese, who developed the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup in 1928 out of his Hershey, Pennsylvania home before his family eventually sold the brand to Hershey in 1963.
Brad Reese went public with his grievances through a February LinkedIn post and letter addressed to Hershey’s corporate brand manager. He charged that the company had been swapping out milk chocolate in favor of compound coatings and substituting real peanut butter with peanut crème across a range of products.
“How does The Hershey Co. continue to position Reese’s as its flagship brand, a symbol of trust, quality and leadership, while quietly replacing the very ingredients (Milk Chocolate + Peanut Butter) that built Reese’s trust in the first place?” he wrote.
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Among the products he flagged were Reese’s Mini Hearts, Take5, Fast Break, and White Reese’s. After sampling one item, he offered a stark verdict: “It was not edible.” Reese was careful to distinguish his position from anti-innovation sentiment, stating, “I absolutely believe in innovation, but my preference is innovation with quality.”
Hershey countered that its flagship Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups have never strayed from milk chocolate and real peanut butter. CFO Steven Voskuil maintained that recipe tweaks across other products had resulted in “no consumer impact whatsoever.”
According to AllRecipes, Hershey stated that “the core recipes for our Hershey’s chocolate bars and Reese’s peanut butter cups have not changed,” addressing concerns about potential recipe modifications. At the same time, the company confirmed that it will be “bringing a small portion of remaining Hershey’s and Reese’s products in line with their classic milk and dark chocolate recipes.”
In its announcement, Hershey noted that these updates are supported by “meaningful investment: a 25 percent increase in R&D to fund talent, technology and nutrition science across our growing portfolio of confection, salty snacks and functional snacking brands.”
CEO Kirk Tanner told Bloomberg the upcoming adjustments were about cohesion across the brand, saying, “We’re going to make some small investments to really align the portfolio to what the brand stands for. That consistency is important across the brand.”
The reformulation targets specific mini Reese’s cups, the Fast Break bar, and select foil-wrapped holiday items. Hershey emphasized that the classic Hershey’s chocolate bar and the original Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup are not changing and will remain made with traditional milk and dark chocolate.
MORE NEWS ON EURWEB.COM: Grandson of Reese’s Creator Criticizes Hershey Over Changes to Candy Recipes
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