HERSHEY, Pa. -- The Hershey Co. said it is beginning a transition to simple and easy-to-understand ingredients. This builds and expands on Hershey's ongoing commitment to responsibly sourcing the ingredients it uses in its product portfolio.
"As consumers, our relationship with food is changing. We spend more time talking and sharing with others about what we eat and why we like certain foods than we spend actually eating. Food matters, and at Hershey, we care deeply about it," said John P. Bilbrey, president and CEO. "We all want and deserve to know what's in our food. Hershey takes pride in listening to our consumers and customers and understanding what they need. We will continue to make our great-tasting, high-quality iconic brands that people know and love. We also will share more information about what goes into our products in ways that are easy to understand and access."
Hershey is focusing on three key principles:
- Simple Ingredients: "We are committed to making our products using ingredients that are simple and easy-to-understand, like fresh milk from local farms, roasted California almonds, cocoa beans and sugar--ingredients you recognize, know and trust. We strive for this kind of simplicity with all of our ingredients."
- Sharing What's Inside: "We take pride in our products and sharing information about all that goes into them, from the ingredients to sourcing, manufacturing and labeling. We will make this information easy to find for those who are interested--whether that's on our packaging, on our website or through new technologies."
- Thoughtful and Responsible Sourcing of Ingredients: "We will continue to work with our suppliers to responsibly source sustainable ingredients, building on our progress against commitments to source 100% certified and sustainable cocoa and certified sustainable and traceable palm oil."
"We will strive for simplicity with all of our ingredients, but we may not achieve it with every product," said Bilbrey. "This is a journey, and it will take time. We are equally committed to sharing what we achieve and what we don't. For ingredients that may not be as simple, we will explain what they are and why we need them to provide the great flavors, aromas, textures and appearances that our consumers know and love."
In 2015, Hershey plans to introduce new snacking products in the United States such as Brookside Dark Chocolate Fruit & Nut Bars, which will feature a lineup of simple ingredients, and transition some of its most popular chocolate brands, including Hershey's Kisses Milk Chocolates and Hershey's Milk Chocolate Bars to simpler ingredients.
Hershey will continue updating its website to serve as a resource for information from a full ingredient glossary to in-depth articles about ingredients consumers want to know about and profiles of the suppliers it works with every day.
The Hershey Co., based in Hershey, Pa., is a global confectionery leader, maker of chocolate, sweets, mints and other snacks. The company, which has more than 80 brands around the world that drive more than $7.4 billion in annual revenues, includes such iconic brand names as Hershey's, Reese's, Hershey's Kisses, Jolly Rancher, Ice Breakers and Brookside.
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