Reese's Peanut Butter Cups Not the Same?

Have you noticed your Reese's Peanut Butter cups taste different?

Well, the grandson of the inventor of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups has lashed out at The Hershey Company, accusing the candy company of hurting the Reese's brand by shifting to cheaper ingredients.

This is unforgivable!

Brad Reese said in a letter to Hershey's corporate brand manager that for multiple Reese's products, the company replaced milk chocolate with compound coatings and peanut butter with peanut creme.

Reese asked: "How does The Hershey Company continue to position Reese's as its flagship brand, a symbol of trust, quality and leadership, while quietly replacing the very ingredients that built Reese's trust in the first place?"

Reese posted the letter on his LinkedIn profile.

Hershey acknowledged that some recipes have changed, but said it was trying to meet consumer demand for innovation. High cocoa prices have led Hershey to experiment with using less chocolate in recent years.

This is an outrage!

Brad Reese said he thinks Hershey went too far. He said he recently threw out a bag of Reese's Mini Hearts, which were a new product released for Valentine's Day. The packaging notes that the heart-shaped candies are made from "chocolate candy and peanut butter creme," not milk chocolate and peanut butter.

"It was not edible," Reese told The Associated Press in an interview. He said, "You have to understand. I used to eat a Reese's product every day. This is very devastating for me."

Me too!

Mr. Reese said he often hears people say that Reese's products don't taste as good as they used to. He said Hershey should keep in mind a famous quote from its founder, Milton Hershey:

"Give them quality, that's the best advertising."

Hershey said it will return all Reese's products to their classic recipes starting next year.

Reese's Peanut Butter Cups have always been made with real milk or dark chocolate and peanut butter.

But a small portion of Hershey's and Reese's products, such as mini-Easter eggs, are now coated with a lower-chocolate coating.

Hershey said it will switch those products back to their "classic milk chocolate and dark chocolate recipes" in 2027.

The Hershey, Pennsylvania-based company said it will also make other changes to its sweets portfolio next year, including switching to natural colours and updating the Kit Kat recipe to make it creamier.

H.B. Reese spent two years at Hershey before forming his own candy company in 1919. H.B. Reese invented Reese's Peanut Butter Cups in 1928. His six sons eventually sold his company to Hershey in 1963.

Before you dig into your next chocolate treat, check the ingredients. You may find out you’ve been robbed.