Hershey said it’s returning Reese’s to its classic recipe after an uproar started by the candy creator’s own grandson.
The Pennsylvania-based confectioner announced Wednesday that all Reese’s products will return to traditional milk chocolate and dark chocolate formulations in 2027, according to The Associated Press (AP). The company also plans to ditch artificial colors across its sweets portfolio and rework KitKat bars for a creamier recipe. Hershey said it plans to boost research and development spending by 25% next year.
“Hershey is committed to making products consumers love and that means continually reviewing our recipes to meet evolving tastes and preferences,” the firm said in a statement. (RELATED: Billion-Dollar Snack Companies Suddenly Care About Affordability After Jacking Up Prices for Years)
The backlash began with a Valentine’s Day open letter from Brad Reese, candy inventor H.B. Reese’s grandson. He told Fox Business he purchased a bag of Reese’s Unwrapped Mini Hearts and found them inedible.
“I went and bought a bag, and I took a couple bites, and I had to throw the bag in the garbage,” Reese told Fox Business. “I couldn’t eat it. It was not edible, and I looked at the packaging … and there was no milk chocolate, there was no peanut butter — it was all vegetable oils and fats.”
Hershey will change the chocolate in a small portion of its Reese’s and Hershey’s products, the latest twist in a squabble over its ingredients initiated by a grandson of the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup creator. https://t.co/6jAmgqS3tJ
— Bloomberg (@business) March 31, 2026
The recipe overhaul will touch less than 3% of Reese’s products and a small fraction of the Hershey’s line, Bloomberg reported. CEO Kirk Tanner said the adjustments were already underway before Brad Reese’s comments, beginning shortly after Tanner assumed his role in the summer of 2025. Affected items include certain mini Reese’s cups, some seasonal foil-wrapped shapes and the Reese’s Fast Break candy bar.
“We’re going to make some small investments to really align the portfolio to what the brand stands for,” Tanner told Bloomberg. “That consistency is important across the brand.”
Hershey’s CFO Steven Voskuil claimed during a 2025 investors’ call that formula tweaks had produced “no consumer impact whatsoever,” according to CBS News. However, Brad Reese said people had frequently told him Reese’s candies weren’t as good as they were before.
Hershey stock fell after the story spread online in February and has traded sideways despite its supposed appeal as a safety net during the Iran War, Yahoo Finance reported. However, shares remain up by 14% with anticipated benefits in earnings due to price hikes and other factors.