Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Bar Makeover
June 19, 2015
Apart from the occasional sweet treat that finds its way onto my taste buds, I typically like to know what I’m eating. Exactly what I’m eating.
Most millennials are the same way.
In fact, consumer demand for clear labeling and natural ingredients in the food industry is growing.
That’s why this chocolate manufacturing giant is making changes.
After 120 years in production, this iconic milk chocolate bar is finally getting a makeover. And, I don’t mean just a change in the wrappings – The Hershey Company is simplifying ingredients to meet growing consumer demand.
Their goal is to make the ingredients “simple and easy to understand.”
Change won’t happen immediately, but a multi-year plan has been set, beginning with its most iconic brands. Vice President and Chief Research & Development Officer at The Hershey Company, Will Papa, said of the change:
“It all starts with the consumer changing. They're really involved in what they’re eating and they want to know the ingredients in their foods. And, we want to be out in front of that.”
By the end of 2015, PGPR (Polyglycerol polyricinoleate) and vanillin will be removed from Hershey chocolate bars. PGPR is a derivative of castor bean oil, which is used to keep fat and water from separating in chocolate production, helping in the molding process. Vanillin is a common artificial vanilla flavoring, and will be replaced with natural vanilla.
Ingredients in Hershey’s new milk chocolate bar: Sugar, Milk, Chocolate, Cocoa Butter, Milk Fat, Soy Lecithin, Natural Flavor.
Hershey’s factory, located in Hershey, PA, is still one of the few chocolate factories that uses fresh milk, farmed in a 70 mile radius on local dairy farms.
For full transparency, they’ve even listed a full glossary of the ingredients they use in their products on their website.
Papa spoke about ingredient changes, “If we can’t remove a certain ingredient, we will tell you why we can’t on our website,” he went on to explain, “This is a multi-year plan--a journey really… The biggest challenge when you change the formulation is balance.”
Photo: "Oh noes! Almost gone!" by Andy Melton is licensed under CC BY SA 2.0 / cropped from original
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