Reese’s Heir Accuses Hershey of Secretly Altering Ingredients
Brad Reese, grandson of the creator of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, has publicly criticized The Hershey Company. He claims the company has quietly altered essential ingredients in its flagship candies, including a switch from milk chocolate to compound coatings and from real peanut butter to peanut butter-style crème. This change, he argues, undermines the brand’s integrity and consumer trust.
Concerns Over Ingredient Changes
In a LinkedIn post shared last week, Reese raised concerns about how these modifications affect Reese’s legacy. He questioned Hershey’s ability to maintain the brand’s status while altering foundational components. “How does The Hershey Company continue to position Reese’s as its flagship brand… while quietly replacing the very ingredients that built Reese’s trust?” he wrote.
Legacy of the Reese Family
Brad Reese is the grandson of H.B. Reese, who left Hershey in 1919 to create his own candy company. H.B. Reese invented the iconic Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups in 1928. His sons later sold their brand to Hershey in 1963. “Reese’s became iconic because my grandfather built it on real ingredients and real integrity,” noted Brad Reese.
Hershey’s Response
In response to the criticism, Hershey stated that it occasionally makes “product recipe adjustments.” The company insists that the core recipe for Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups remains unchanged. As they have expanded their product line, Hershey claims these adjustments help them innovate while preserving what makes Reese’s unique.
Market Factors and Ingredient Integrity
Recent fluctuations in cocoa prices have forced some confectionery manufacturers to experiment with alternative formulations. While cocoa prices have recently decreased, retail prices often remain high due to lag times in production. Reese contends that Hershey has compromised too much on quality, pointing to its Valentine’s Day release, Reese’s Mini Hearts, which uses “chocolate candy” instead of real milk chocolate.
Regulatory Standards for Chocolate
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) maintains strict standards for chocolate. For a product to qualify as milk chocolate, it must contain a minimum of 10% chocolate liquor, 12% milk solids, and 3.39% milk fat. Companies sometimes circumvent these standards with alternative labeling.
Changes in Other Reese’s Products
- Hershey’s Reese’s Take5 and Fast Break bars previously featured milk chocolate but have switched coatings.
- Products like White Reese’s used genuine white chocolate before changing to a white crème formula.
- Products sold in Europe differ from their U.S. counterparts, often labeled as “milk chocolate-flavored coating.”
During a recent investor call, Hershey’s CFO Steven Voskuil acknowledged some formula adjustments, asserting that they maintain the “taste profile” of their iconic brands. Nonetheless, Brad Reese pointed out that many consumers feel the taste quality has declined, urging the company to heed the wisdom of its founder Milton Hershey: “Give them quality, that’s the best advertising.”
“I absolutely believe in innovation, but my preference is innovation with quality,” concluded Reese, as he hopes for a return to the product’s original integrity.
