February 19, 2026
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Hershey has come under fire from the grandson of the man who invented Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. Brad Reese says the company is undermining the Reese's brand by using substitute ingredients in some products.
The grandson of the man who invented Reese's Peanut Butter Cups is taking aim at the Hershey Company over alleged changes it's made to the candy's time-honored recipes.
In a post on LinkedIn on Wednesday, Brad Reese accused Hershey of "diluting" Reese's products and misleading consumers about their ingredients.
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"For 103-years, Reese's has been marketed as Milk Chocolate + Peanut Butter," Reese wrote. "Yet across multiple Reese's products, consumers are getting compound coatings instead of Milk Chocolate and peanut‑butter‑style crèmes instead of real Peanut Butter."
Peanut Butter Cups, originally called Penny Cups, were invented in Hershey in 1928 by H.B. Reese, a former dairy farmer for Milton Hershey. Reese's own candy company, a consignment brand known for its milk and dark chocolate coatings, was founded nine years earlier and operated for decades before it was acquired by Hershey in 1963.
Reese said he's been bothered in recent years by Hershey altering the ingredients that were once synonymous with the Reese's brand. He said he decided to speak out after noticing similar questions being raised by financial research firms. Hershey's stock has risen by over 20% in 2026.
"When the financial markets start paying attention and when Wall Street analysts begin questioning whether Reese's margin engineering is being disguised as Reese's 'innovation,' the issue moves out of the marketing department and straight into The Hershey Company boardroom," Reese wrote.
In a statement Thursday, Hershey said it has not changed the recipe for Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. The company said the original candy is still produced by roasting peanuts to create peanut butter and then combining it with milk chocolate. Other Reese's branded products, including candies that come in different shapes and sizes, are made with substitutes.
"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, while always protecting the essence of what makes Reese's unique and special: the perfect combination of chocolate and peanut butter," a Hershey spokesperson said.
Products that use milk chocolate-flavored coatings and peanut butter crème are labeled as containing "chocolate candy and peanut butter crème."
Reese told the Associated Press he reached out to Hershey executives on Valentine's Day to complain that the company was using its flagship Reese's brand to cut corners. He said Hershey has altered its recipes for Take5 and Fast Break bars, Reese's Valentine's hearts and White Reese's cups that were formerly made with white chocolate.
Hershey Chief Financial Officer Steven Voskuil acknowledged the company was experimenting with product formulation and testing during a conference call with investors last year.
"It's a place we look at, we test and in some parts of our portfolio we've made some changes," Voskuil said. "We'll continue to look in that space. I would say in all the changes that we've made thus far, there has been no consumer impact whatsoever."
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration requires companies to meet standards for chocolate if they want to include certain language on their product packaging. Milk chocolate must have at least 10% chocolate liquor, a non-alcoholic paste made from ground cocoa beans, and include at least 12% milk solids and 3.39% milk fat.
If those ingredients are not included, candy makers are permitted to use different language that still says "chocolate" on packaging. Regulations also vary by country.
The criticism from Reese comes as Hershey prepares for the release of a biopic later this year that tells the story of Milton Hershey, the famed chocolatier who started as a caramel manufacturer in Lancaster in 1886. Hershey pivoted to chocolate in 1894, founding the Hershey Chocolate Company with the belief that its future held more promise than his initial venture.
Reese told the AP he's noticed the difference in the taste of Reese's newer products and those that have undergone changes.
"You have to understand. I used to eat a Reese's product every day," Reese said. "This is very devastating for me."
