Hershey’s to Return to Real Chocolate in Reese’s and Hershey’s Products by 2027
Some of the Reese’s products you’ve been buying didn’t actually contain real milk chocolate — and H.B. Reese’s own grandson is the one who blew the whistle.
The Hershey Company announced it will return to using “classic milk and dark chocolate recipes” across its Reese’s and Hershey’s products by 2027, following public criticism and viral social media scrutiny over ingredient changes. CEO Kirk Tanner made the announcement in an interview with Bloomberg on Tuesday, March 31.
“We’re going to make some small investments to really align the portfolio to what the brand stands for,” Tanner said. “That consistency is important across the brand.”
What’s Actually Changing In Hershey’s Chocolate
Beginning in 2026, products inspired by original Reese’s items — including mini cups, seasonal shapes and the Fast Break bar — will be made with real milk chocolate instead of chocolate compound coatings. All classic Hershey’s chocolate bars will be made with “pure milk and dark chocolate,” and the company is “enhancing” Kit Kat for “a creamier taste and texture,” Tanner said.
Hershey said the shift from compound coatings to real chocolate affects less than 3% of Reese’s products and a small portion of Hershey’s products. The company also said it is “on track” to remove all artificial colors from its products by the end of 2026.
Reese’s Grandson’s Viral Complaint
Brad Reese, the grandson of H.B. Reese, publicly criticized Hershey earlier in 2026 after discovering some products used chocolate-flavored coatings instead of milk chocolate. He shared a letter of complaint on LinkedIn that went viral.
“My grandfather,” Reese wrote, “built REESE’S on a simple, enduring architecture: Milk Chocolate + Peanut Butter.”
He added that Hershey had replaced the original formula “with compound coatings and Peanut Butter with peanut-butter style cremes across multiple REESE’S products.”
In an April 2026 interview with NBC News, Reese gave Hershey’s announcement a measured response.
“If this is true, the people who deserve the credit are the loyal fans who were alarmed by what Hershey was doing,” he said.
“But I am seeing a lot of red flags here. I think what Hershey is trying to do here is change with PR narrative.”
He added a pointed test for the company’s sincerity: “If something like the Valentine’s Day Reese’s Mini Heart still doesn’t taste like real milk chocolate next year, I’ll know they’re lying.”
Hershey’s Timeline Dispute
Reese disputed Hershey’s timeline, saying the issue had been brewing for months. “You know when this became an issue?” he said. “Valentine’s Day. This has been going on since Valentine’s Day.”
Tanner, however, said the shift back to real chocolate was already underway before Reese’s criticism. “Right when I started with the company, we did a deep dive across our portfolio,” he said. Tanner joined Hershey in August 2025.
The controversy didn’t stay on LinkedIn. In early 2026, videos on TikTok showing Hershey’s chocolate bars bending instead of snapping gained traction online. Users posted clips testing the texture of the chocolate, with some suggesting the formula had changed.
Why Hershey’s Swapped Ingredients In the First Place
Cocoa prices increased approximately 70% in 2024 due to crop disease, aging trees and extreme weather in West Africa, according to the Associated Press. Prices reached a record high in late 2024. West Africa produces about 70% of the world’s cocoa supply.
Chocolate prices rose 14.4% in early 2026 compared to the same period in 2025, according to data shared with ABC News by Datasembly.
During a February 2025 earnings call, former CEO Michele Buck said the company could adjust pricing, packaging and recipes in response to rising costs.
How to Tell What You’re Actually Eating
Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups have used the same ingredients — milk chocolate and peanut butter — since their creation in 1928. Hershey said the original cups have not changed but acknowledged that some expanded Reese’s products use different formulations. Products such as Reese’s Mini Eggs and Reese’s Pieces do not contain milk chocolate, according to their labels.
A quick label check can reveal a lot: products labeled “milk chocolate” meet FDA standards. Labels using terms such as “chocolate candy,” “chocolatey” or “crème” may indicate the use of alternative ingredients, including vegetable oils instead of cocoa butter.
This article was created by content specialists using various tools, including AI.
