Hershey to resume using chocolate in most products; Reese’s grandson may taste sweet victory
NBC News • • business
Key Points:
- The Hershey Company announced it will return to using classic milk and dark chocolate recipes in all Reese’s and Hershey’s products by 2027, reversing previous changes to some spinoff items.
- Brad Reese, grandson of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups inventor H.B. Reese, publicly criticized Hershey for replacing real milk chocolate with chocolate-flavored coatings in certain products, sparking a viral complaint.
- Hershey CEO Kirk Tanner stated the move to restore traditional recipes was planned before Reese's public objections and emphasized consistency and quality across the brand's portfolio.
- The switch back to real chocolate will affect less than 3% of Reese’s products and a small portion of Hershey’s, with additional efforts to remove artificial colors by the end of next year.
- Reese remains skeptical of Hershey’s intentions, vowing to verify the taste of products like Valentine’s Day Reese’s Mini Hearts to ensure they use genuine milk chocolate as promised.
