finance
Reese heir accuses Hershey of replacing real chocolate and peanut butter with cheaper substitutes
Brad Reese, grandson of Reese's founder, says Hershey altered classic recipes and has accused the company of a slow, partial response; Hershey says limited reversions are planned and denies changing Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.
Apr 3rd 2026 · United States
Insights
- Brad Reese says Hershey quietly replaced milk chocolate and peanut butter in flagship products with compound coatings and peanut‑butter‑style crèmes.
- Reese began publicly accusing Hershey in February and says the company’s pledge to revert recipes is too slow and insufficient.
- Hershey says it will revert about 3% of select products and maintains Reese's Peanut Butter Cups were never altered.
- The company attributes recipe changes to prior product decisions, a shift to natural colors, and increased R&D rather than to Reese's criticism.
- Other members of the Reese family have publicly disagreed with Brad Reese and expressed support for Hershey’s management of the brand.