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Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups have always been made with real milk
chocolate or dark chocolate and peanut butter. But a small
portion of Hershey’s and Reese’s products, like mini Easter
eggs, are now made with a coating that contains less chocolate.
Hershey said that in 2027, it will shift those products to
“their classic milk chocolate and dark chocolate recipes.”
The Hershey, Pennsylvania-based company said it will also be
making other changes to its sweets portfolio next year,
including transitioning to natural colors and enhancing
Kit-Kat’s recipe to make it creamier. The company said it plans
to increase its research and development funding by 25% next
year.
“Hershey is committed to making products consumers love and that
means continually reviewing our recipes to meet evolving tastes
and preferences,” the company said in a statement.
Brad Reese, the grandson of the inventor of Reese’s Peanut
Butter Cups, ignited the controversy in a public letter he sent
to Hershey’s corporate brand manager on Valentine’s Day.
“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?” Reese
wrote in the letter, which he posted on his LinkedIn profile.
Hershey acknowledged some recipe changes but said it was trying
to meet consumer demand for innovation. High cocoa prices also
have led Hershey and other manufacturers to experiment with
using less chocolate in recent years.
The Associated Press left a message with Brad Reese on Wednesday
seeking comment.
Brad Reese is the grandson of H.B. Reese, who spent two years at
Hershey before forming his own candy company in 1919. H.B. Reese
invented Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups in 1928; his six sons
eventually sold his company to Hershey in 1963.
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