I posted the link (twice), so scroll down.
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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Most chocolate today, including the premium brands, use a sort of denatured cocoa powder containing none of the original cocoa butter, among other things.What’s more, non-Mexican hot chocolate is mostly sugar and milk, with actual chocolate being far down in the list of ingredients. Worse still, it is not even real chocolate. I like to add cacao powder, which is whole chocolate to my coffee or hot chocolate. One way to test its quality is to see how easily it blends in. Real chocolate resists dissolving in water and requires quite a bit of stirring.
Correct, unfortunately.
Auto companies, first that comes to mind GM. When smith came in the bottom line ruled.
Chocolate style flavored wax.
Maybe it was the chemicals you were tasting.
Hershey's products receive low ratings for contamination, including lead and cadmium according to Consumer Reports.
The corporate scum won’t have to worry about getting chilly where they’re going after they die.
I dont care for the Dubai chocolate they are now selling.
I look for cocoa butter as one of the ingredients and avoid ones with pfgxx? I know it when I see it PGF or whatever. And palm kernel oil too.
I remember when butterfingers had real chocolate and you would scrape it off with your 9 Y.O. teeth before you ate the middle that was hard AND chewy at the same time !!
p.s. yes I got cavities, but wouldn't trade that for no cavities and the fake crap they sell today or the past 20 years.
somebody get me some fries cooked in beef tallow, pls!!
Ghiradelli "Intense Dark" chocolate, 86% cacao, is highly rated by consumerlab.com. Worth looking for. Stay away from Lindt.
Anyone who’s eaten Hershey’s candy lately knows it’s true. I have stopped buying it, anyway, ever since reading that they moved their factory to Mexico.
I like that word better than the one I have been using, less vulgar - ensh—ification.
Get the German-made chocolate from Aldi.
Lindt owns Ghiardelli
I don’t eat candy bars but I do use Hershey syrup and it is now tremendously expensive. The large size is $8.50 at Walmart!
Cadbury in the UK has also cheapened its chocolate…no more one and a half glasses of milk in their chocolate bars
You should be able to buy Mast Market chocolate on Amazon. Made with only three ingredients: cacao, cane sugar, and vanilla. Certified organic, non-GMO, vegan, and gluten-free.
I posted the link (twice), so scroll down.
Thanks. I'll have to give it a try.
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