On Valentine’s Day of this year, Brad Reese — the 70-year-old grandson of National Treasure and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup creator H.B. Reese — put the Hershey company on blast for tampering with the sacred chocolate-peanut butter ingredients that have made Reese’s a favorite candy for nearly a century. Brad Reese made his accusations in a letter of disgust he sent to Hershey HQ (and also posted publicly on his LinkedIn) after purchasing a bag of Mini Hearts Reese’s for the romantic holiday. When his tastebuds were promptly left broken-hearted upon ingestion, Brad inspected the ingredients where he was horrified to find that the holy pairing of milk chocolate and peanut butter had been replaced with “chocolate candy and peanut butter crème.” Indefensible!! And guess what, the J’Accuse! worked: Hershey has announced they’re going back to the classic Reese’s recipe… starting in 2027. C’mon, not until next year?! Gimme a brea— oh, sorry, wrong candy.
[From CBS News]Hershey said Wednesday it will use classic recipes for all Reese’s products starting next year, a change that comes after the grandson of Reese’s founder criticized the company for shifting to cheaper ingredients.
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 KitKat’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 have also led Hershey and other manufacturers to experiment with using less chocolate in recent years.
The Associate 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.
When Brad Reese first penned his letter, Hershey responded with a pro forma statement: “As we’ve grown and expanded the Reese’s product line, we make product recipe adjustments that allow us to make new shapes, sizes and innovations that Reese’s fans have come to love and ask for…” Sure, but when it comes to chocolate candy, the “innovation” we’re looking for is not LESS chocolate! Of course the bitter biting truth underneath all this sugar is that cacao harvesting is a dirty business that we have yet to reckon with. Not that I condone Hershey trying to pass off faux ingredients, I just can understand the impetus for them seeking chocolate alternatives/reductions. And not that I can honestly say I wrote this post without some Reese’s cups by my side! My sweet tooth is rotting my moral fiber, sigh.
A few closing thoughts to put a wrapper on this candy bar: I’m glad Hershey is returning to the original ingredients. I think it’s the right thing to do, even in the midst of a larger chocolate problem to resolve. I also have very bittersweet feelings over the fact that Reese’s fell into Hershey ownership after H.B. Reese took a chance on forming his own company! But most of all, I’m just so thankful for the wealth of chocolate news that’s been blessing our timelines lately. Between this morsel and the Great Italian KitKat Heist, I’m fully sated.
PS — As of this writing, all the stolen KitKats are still at large. Again, only YOU can stop chocolate crime.
photos via Instagram and Hersheys
As an admitted chocoholic, I’m stealing this line….”My sweet tooth is rotting my moral fiber, sigh.”
And yay for Brad. Don’t go messing with deliciousness. (Speaking of delicious, Have you tried the DARK chocolate peanut butter cups at Trader Joe’s? Perfection!)
Trader Joe’s dark chocolate peanut butter cups are the best! And reasonably priced too. Also try the dark chocolate mint creams. Yum!
Sure Jan, in 2027….
Horrified to read in another article that the majority of Hershey chocolate candy are NOT chocolate but ‘chocolate candy coating’. And now the peanut butter is NOT peanut butter! How is that even legal?
Wait, what consumers want INNOVATION in their commercial candy recipes? I thought that excuse was reserved for when they toss in the odd rat hair or whatever.
I’m horrified lately by the lack of ice cream in ice cream, so much packaging labeled frozen dessert. Ugh.
NPR’s planet money did an episode on this situation. They also pointed out that tariffs have messed with the prices of inputs for treats like pb cups. Also – I think there was something about how while Hershey’s is revisiting the formula for 2027, a percentage of their chocolate treats will continue to use the lower grade ingredients (the pod basically says this is for kid vs adult consumption? That ruffles my feathers). I think the spin cbs is taking paints hersheys in a more positive light than what’s actually happening. The FDA has pretty strict rules on what can be called milk chocolate and PB. Apparently even the podcast hosts didn’t even like the flavoring of the new formula. It sounds ick.