Grandson of Reese’s inventor accuses Hershey of hurting the brand

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Brad Reese, the grandson of H.B. Reese who invented Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, has accused The Hershey Co. of changing the ingredients behind the flagship brand in ways Reese said harm its trust with consumers. Reese made the allegation in a Feb. 14 letter to Hershey’s corporate brand manager, which he later posted on LinkedIn, and he repeated the criticism in an interview with The Associated Press.

Reese said that for multiple Reese’s products, Hershey replaced milk chocolate with compound coatings and replaced peanut butter with peanut crème. He framed the dispute as a question of whether Hershey could continue marketing Reese’s as its “flagship brand” and a symbol of “trust, quality and leadership” while changing the specific ingredients that he said built that trust.

Hershey acknowledged some recipe changes but said it was trying to meet consumer demand for innovation. The company also said high cocoa prices have contributed to efforts by Hershey and other manufacturers to experiment with using less chocolate in recent years.

In response to Reese’s claims, Hershey said Wednesday that Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups are made the same way they always have been, with milk chocolate and peanut butter that the company makes itself from roasted peanuts and other ingredients including sugar and salt. Hershey said some Reese’s ingredients vary as the company grew and expanded the Reese’s line, including making recipe adjustments that allow new shapes, sizes and innovations.

Reese disputed Hershey’s assurances and said at least some recent items were noticeable to him. He told AP he threw out a bag of Reese’s Mini Hearts, a Valentine’s Day product, after checking the package labeling that described the items as “chocolate candy and peanut butter crème” instead of milk chocolate and peanut butter. Reese said he found the candies “not edible,” adding that he used to eat a Reese’s product every day.

Reese also pointed to how ingredient labeling rules can affect what companies write on packaging. He cited U.S. Food and Drug Administration requirements for “milk chocolate,” which include minimum levels for chocolate liquor, milk solids, and milk fat; he said companies can use other wording such as “chocolate candy” and thus work around those standards. Hershey’s Mr. Goodbar wrapper, Reese noted, uses “chocolate candy” on its label.

Beyond U.S. products, Reese said Reese’s sold in Europe, the United Kingdom and Ireland differs from U.S. versions. He pointed to a package advertised online on British grocery site Ocado that described the candy as “milk chocolate-flavored coating and peanut butter crème,” and Reese used that label to argue that Hershey had altered ingredients for those markets as well.

Hershey disputed that characterization and said the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups it sells in the European Union and the United Kingdom use the same recipe as the U.S. version. The company said labeling differs because EU and UK rules require milk chocolate products to contain higher percentages of cocoa, milk solids and milk fats.

Reese also said people have told him some Reese’s products do not taste as good as they used to. He cited Hershey’s own remarks to investors as part of his argument, including comments from Chief Financial Officer Steven Voskuil during a conference call last year. Voskuil said Hershey made some changes in its formulas while maintaining the “taste profile and the specialness of our iconic brands,” and he said Hershey was “very careful” to maintain consumer impact, describing extensive consumer testing even for small changes.

In closing his criticism, Reese said he supports innovation but wants it paired with quality. Reese told AP that “innovation with quality” is his preference, and he added a quote attributed to Milton Hershey: “Give them quality, that’s the best advertising.”