April 01, 2026
Andrew Kulp/Imagn Images
The Hershey Company came under scrutiny this winter for its use of substitute ingredients in Reese's products and other candies. The company now says it will go back to its original recipes in 2027.
The Hershey Company will abandon its use of substitute ingredients in Reese's-branded candies and other products next year, addressing backlash that mounted when the grandson of founder H.B. Reese criticized the company for "diluting" time-honored flavors.
At an investor presentation in New York on Tuesday, Hershey chief growth and marketing officer Stacy Taffet said the company will revert to its original recipes to ensure "that all Hershey's and Reese's offerings are consistent with their brands."
Hershey had switched from milk chocolate to cheaper compound coatings for a range of Reese's products and other candies in recent years. The Pennsylvania-based company had also swapped real peanut butter with "peanut butter crèmes," although Hershey officials claimed their core recipes for Hershey's chocolate bars and Reese's Peanut Butter Cups had not been changed.
Brad Reese, whose grandfather invented the Peanut Butter Cups in 1928, took aim at Hershey in February with an open letter on LinkedIn that called out the shift in ingredients. Reese said the difference was noticeable when he tried Reese's Valentine's Hearts. He reached out to Hershey to complain about the changes.
"I just thought there's not enough and too much of everything all at the same time," Reese, 70, said last month during an appearance on the "We Fixed It. You're Welcome" podcast.
Hershey said it now plans to make adjustments to the ingredients of several brands starting next year.
"We're transitioning to colors from natural sources across our sweets portfolio, enhancing Kit Kat's recipe for a creamier taste and texture, and bringing a small portion of remaining Hershey's and Reese's products in line with their classic milk and dark chocolate recipes," Allison Kleinfelter, head of communications for the Hershey Company, said in a statement Wednesday.
The company did not mention the public outcry kickstarted by Brad Reese's complaints. The company said it plans a 25% increase in research and development funding across its portfolio of candies and snacks in the coming year.
Hershey had claimed the recipe changes were made to allow the company to create candies in different shapes and sizes and to spur innovation. Cocoa prices have recently rebounded from record highs over the past few years that were triggered by poor weather and crop diseases affecting harvests in West Africa, which produces about two-thirds of the world's cocoa.
Hershey's stock price, which had been rising this year, dipped in March as the controversy over its ingredients grew, Yahoo Finance reported. Shares are still up over 10% in 2026, and the company is expected to maintain strong sales and earnings with price increases and better conditions for cocoa.
Reese claimed the recipes were changed to maximize profits, even at the cost of quality and brand loyalty.
"They're stooping for the pennies and passing up the dollars," Reese said on the podcast.
Although Hershey's ingredient changes were present on labels and compliant with U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulations, Reese said the company has been less than transparent with consumers. Code words like "made with chocolate" and "chocolatey" have appeared on packaging to obscure the use of compound coatings, Reese said, and other recipe changes have been made in products including Mr. Goodbar, Heath bar, Rolos, Almond Joy, Mounds, and Reese's Take 5 and Fast Break candies.
"They're doing it so quietly that if you're not really looking closely, you're not going to catch it," Reese said.
H.B. Reese, a former dairy farmer for Milton Hershey, operated his own candy company for decades before his six sons sold the brand to Hershey for a reported $23.5 million in company stock in 1963.
Brad Reese has not publicly commented since Hershey unveiled its plan to go back to the old recipes. Before Tuesday's investor presentation, Reese said Hershey's failure do so would likely open the door to changes in other products.
"It's Americana," Reese said on the podcast. "If Reese's can no longer be Reese's, then what else in our society is no longer sacred?"
