Heir Accuses Hershey of Replacing Milk Chocolate and Peanut Butter in Reese’s

Heir’s Open Letter Accuses Hershey of Changing Reese’s Recipes

Heir Alleges Recipe Shift in Iconic Reese’s Line

Brad Reese, grandson of H.B. Reese, is publicly accusing The Hershey Company of quietly reformulating parts of the Reese’s product line, saying the candy maker is replacing traditional milk chocolate and peanut butter with lower‑cost substitutes. In an open letter posted on LinkedIn on Feb. 18, he says his grandfather built Reese’s on a simple formula — “milk chocolate + peanut butter” — and that recent “formulation decisions” substitute compound coatings and peanut‑butter‑style crèmes. He cites a bag of Reese’s Unwrapped Chocolate Peanut Butter Creme Mini Hearts he buys, calling them “not edible” after noting ingredient listings of vegetable oils and fats rather than milk chocolate and peanut butter.

The allegation singles out other SKU examples, with Reese saying products such as Reese’s Take 5 and Fast Break are no longer coated in milk chocolate and that some Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups in parts of Europe lack milk chocolate. He tells FOX Business the Mini Hearts contain “no milk chocolate” and “no peanut butter” and accuses Hershey of eroding the legacy and integrity of the brand his family created. Reese frames the dispute as a values conflict, saying it leaves him “devastating” to bear the family name while the product departs from its founding recipe.

Hershey pushes back, telling media its iconic Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups are “made the same way they always have been,” beginning with roasting fresh peanuts to make the company’s peanut butter combined with milk chocolate. The company acknowledges making recipe adjustments to enable new shapes, sizes and innovations that consumers request, and defends its manufacturing decisions as part of product development rather than wholesale reformulation of flagship items.

Hershey’s statement and broader coverage

Hershey’s response is running alongside coverage on FOX Business and other outlets, drawing attention to tensions between heritage branding and cost‑driven or innovation‑driven product changes. The company stresses continuity for core SKUs while acknowledging variations for new formats, but the public dispute spotlights how ingredient swaps can trigger reputational risk for legacy brands.

Industry context and labeling practices

Food manufacturers sometimes use compound chocolate (made with vegetable fats) or alternative crèmes for technical reasons such as shape stability or shelf life; those substitutions are typically declared on ingredient lists. The episode may prompt closer consumer scrutiny of labels and renewed debate over transparency, product formulation and legacy brand identity in the confectionery sector.