Hershey blasted by Reese’s family over core ingredient changes

Brad Reese, grandson of Reese’s founder Harry Burnett Reese, has publicly criticized The Hershey Company for allegedly replacing core ingredients like milk chocolate and real peanut butter in Reese’s products with compound coatings and peanut-butter-style crémes. In an open letter, Reese argues that these changes threaten the brand’s heritage, consumer trust, and Hershey’s narrative of quality, suggesting the shift is due to “brand governance” rather than supply chain issues. This criticism comes at a delicate time for Hershey, as Reese’s is a flagship brand in its portfolio.