A consumer segment on NBC's "Today" show Friday took a jab at The Hershey Co. for ingredient changes in some of its products. The changes involve the removal of cocoa butter and the relabeling of the affected products.
Cybele May, the author of Candy Blog, dedicated to reviewing drugstore candy, was interviewed for the segment. May graduated from Mechanicsburg Area Senior High School and now lives in California. She said she felt "betrayed" by Hershey.
To check out Candy Blog, visit www.typetive.com/candyblog
MARK LENNIHAN, The Associated Press
Hershey's Kissables candy coated chocolates are among the products whose formulations have been changed.
What's at issue?
Hershey has modified the recipes for some of its products, using lower-cost vegetable oils instead of cocoa butter. Consumers said this affects the taste and cheapens the products. The ingredient changes prompted Hershey to change labels on the affected products to say "chocolaty" or "chocolate-flavored" instead of "milk chocolate."
Which products are affected?
Smaller sellers in the company's portfolio, including Mr. Goodbar, Take 5 and Kissables, are affected. Almond Joy was reformulated but has gone back to its original recipe with cocoa butter. The core products, such as the Hershey's Milk Chocolate bar, Reese's candy, Kisses and Kit Kat, are made with milk chocolate.
How do these changes affect the products?
May said Kissables taste like children's chewable vitamins. She used the term "mockolate" -- a word that originates from an episode of the show "Friends" -- to describe the reformulated candies. People on "Today" were asked to sample the milk chocolate and reformulated chocolate Kissables. They were split 50-50 on the taste.
What is Hershey's response?
Hershey spokesman Kirk Saville said the program was "misleading." He said about 85 percent of Hershey's portfolio contains pure chocolate, including its core brands of Hershey's, Kisses, Reese's, Kit Kats, York, and Bliss, a product introduced this year. Some products have been altered, but some changes go back a couple of years. The Mr. Goodbar formula was changed to allow the peanut flavor to come through, Saville said.
"Consumers love this, and people prefer the change," he said.
At the annual shareholders meeting this year, president and CEO David J. West said Hershey received fewer consumer complaints about product quality in 2007 than in 2006.
Did the "Today" show have any impact?
It's hard to say, but on a day when the jittery stock market skyrocketed, Hershey stock closed at $40.70, a drop of $2.03, or 4.75 percent. The message boards? Nary a comment by midafternoon on the Yahoo board.
Would consumers even notice the changes?
"The consumers may not notice the difference since these reformulations are being done to mass-market chocolate products with lots of sugar that would dominate their taste profiles," said Curtis Vreeland of Harrisburg, a consultant to the confectionery industry.
How do consumers feel?
Visitors to Hershey's Chocolate World on Friday offered mixed views:
"Pure vegetable oil would be as good as cocoa butter. It would change the taste and texture but not enough that most people would notice it, and it might make the chocolate better for children with some medical conditions.
"Even so, Milton Hershey probably wouldn't approve. He built this whole empire on the classic taste of his chocolate." -- Diane Nardi of Narberth, Montgomery County
"I don't want them to change the flavor of their chocolate. I want the same flavor and consistency, that great taste we have always enjoyed." -- Shirley Conrad of South Bend, Ind.
"I bake with a lot of Hershey's chocolate. I use Hershey Kisses and chocolate bars in cookies and brownies, rather than baking chocolate, and I use a lot of their dark chocolate. It's in my secret fudge recipe, which everyone loves. The taste and texture of their chocolate is very important to me, and I don't want it to change." -- Audrey Dunning of Ilion, N.Y.
"Any change people make in a product makes a big difference to people who use it. The risk they are taking is whether consumers will continue to buy their products." -- Fran Barilar of Hummelstown. He said he doesn't eat a lot of chocolate, but when he does, it's usually a Hershey bar.
"I usually eat Nestle's candy bars because Hershey has been changing their products. I think Nestle's is much better than the new Hershey's taste." -- Arthur Freda of St. Petersburg, Fla., formerly of Dillsburg.
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