The shift promises lower shelf prices for consumers, a demand recovery for cocoa farmers, and a partial reversal away from chocolate alternatives made with too little cocoa to qualify as chocolate.
Brad Reese, the grandson of H.B. Reese, the inventor of Reese's peanut butter cups, joins "The Hill" to discuss his disappointment at Hershey's changing the recipe to Reese's mini hearts. "The Hill on NewsNation" combines the power of two trusted news sources to define today's most-pressing issues, and question Washington's power brokers on what matters most to the people they serve and what matters most to Americans.
Cocoa prices have plunged from last year's record highs — but shoppers are still paying more for Easter chocolate , Wells Fargo says. Why it matters: Once food companies raise prices, they're slow to bring them back down when ingredient costs fall — even as consumers are expected to spend a record $24.9 billion on Easter this year, according to the National Retail Federation . State of play: Major chocolate companies raised prices by up to 20% during the cocoa spike in 2024-2025, per a Wells Fargo Agri-Food Institute report. - For Easter, prices are up again — with chocolate costing shoppers about 14% more year over year in early 2026, according to Datasembly data. - Over the past five years, the cost of a full Easter basket has…
The change follows weeks of complaints from a grandson of the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup inventor and other vocal consumers.
Hershey said Wednesday it will use classic recipes for all Reese’s products starting next year.
'consistency is important across the brand'
The grandson of the Reese's Peanut Butter Cups creator has launched a campaign against The Hershey Company, which owns the Reese's brand. He wants them to stop skimping on ingredients.
Brad Reese explains why he believes ingredient changes undermine his grandfather's original creation.
With cocoa prices high, Hershey’s has changed some of its candy recipes. The grandson of the man who invented of the original Peanut Butter Cup said he was “embarrassed.”
'It was not edible'