Posted on 02/19/2026 4:13:59 AM PST by DFG
The grandson of the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups creator is slamming the Hershey Co. for allegedly switching to cheaper ingredients to make the iconic snacks – and his accusations are sparking fierce pushback from his relatives, The Post has learned.
Brad Reese, 70 – whose grandfather HB Reese invented the famous treat – claimed Hershey has swapped out milk chocolate for cheap compound coating made from vegetable oils. He also claims Hershey has sneakily replaced real peanut butter with peanut-butter flavored cremes.
“I can’t just let it go. They’re lowering the quality of ingredients, charging the same price and probably giving you a smaller product size,” Reese, a retiree living in West Palm Beach, told The Post. “I’m really embarrassed as a member of the Reese family.”
The Hershey Co. told The Post its original Peanut Butter Cups are still made with peanut butter and milk chocolate – though it has made “recipe adjustments” in new products that “allow us to make new shapes, sizes and innovations that Reese’s fans have come to love and ask for.”
“What consumer that you know of has said, ‘Hey, I don’t want milk chocolate in my Reese’s products anymore. I prefer compound coating!’” Reese shot back with a laugh, adding that the statement does not specifically deny changing ingredients in other Reese’s products.
His LinkedIn posts blasting the alleged quality compromises quickly went viral – and his cousin, whose daughter works for the Hershey Company, pleaded with him to stop in a heated text message.
“Brad, this is your cousin Becky. You have created a nightmare for our family and the company,” read a copy of the text message obtained by The Post, which matched the phone number for his cousin, Becky Hilgers.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
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Interesting, I thought it was just me getting old because I had noticed that peanut butter cups tasted different, maybe it was not just my age?
Hersheys chocolate blows and always has. It’s always been waxy and low dollar.
I ate a dark chocolate bar yesterday and didn’t even finish it. It does not even taste like chocolate.
I used to live in Harrisburg PA, just 20 minutes from Hershey. The whole town smells like chocolate.
I gave up on Hershey’s decades ago, even when it is free I pass on it.
It’s like that with most everything...a sign of the times.
“You got chocolate in my peanut butter, you got peanut butter on my chocolate.”
Oh, yes they did. Anyone with a keyboard can find the stories.
Goes back well over a decade ago.
I get my fix now with dark chocolate dipped in real peanut butter, to hell with manufactured junk with crap ingredients.
It’s all part of what I like to call, “the cheapening.”. Everything gets smaller and becomes cheaper, tasteless. It used to be difficult to crush a plastic bottle or aluminum can. Everything had more fat in it, actually had some taste.
Ice cream used to taste like ice cream— now it’s more like shaved ice. When you use a bar of soap these days and get it wet, it dissolves because the more expensive oils like coconut are firmer and keep their shape longer. Boxes are smaller, or maybe they’ll say you get “30% more,” but they double the price. All part of the cheapening
I used to love the Easter Eggs. Last year they tasted different and didn’t get many.
Interesting, I thought it was just me getting old because I had noticed that peanut butter cups tasted different, maybe it was not just my age?
Agree - I had a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup recently and the taste was “off” and I did not enjoy it. Never let your accountants run your company (I am an accountant BTW), they’ll run it right into the ground. Wake up Reese’s...
Chemicals that are supposed to taste like the thing.
I’m related to the Herseys. The family sold out decades ago. It’s just a corporate board now so they ‘group-thought’ this decision submitted by someone who’s educated beyond their worth. Props to Mr. Brad Reese for calling out the corner-cutters for cheapening the brand.
Hershey chocolate hasn’t always been bad.
When they made it before, it took weeks of churning it until it was done.
Now it’s finished in hours, and it is crap.
I’ve lived here near Hershey, before and after they tore down the old factory on Cocoa Avenue.
You used to be able to smell the chocolate from miles away. Now it’s another tourist trap.
So glad I eventually lost my sweet tooth. Sugar is scary stuff, even before all the fake ingredients are added to it.
What's defined as food anymore is outright horrifying.
Right up there with "vaccine".
Have a nice day. ☺
It is obvious the candies are using cheap and fake ingredients. The candies today are oils. They are tasteless and fake.
When I get European chocolates they have flavor.
US products turn my stomach. *yuck*
Inflation has its costs.
Hershey’s and most of the other low-grade stuff is fast approaching ‘ersatz’ grade.
Lindt Chocolate Truffles have allegedly gone the same way with some sort of vegetable oil based goo inside.
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