The grandson of H. B. Reese, inventor of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, is speaking out after accusing The Hershey Company of changing his late grandfather's beloved candy recipe.
"This is a mission that I feel [is] almost like I prepared my whole life for it -- you don't mess with Reese's," Brad Reese told "Good Morning America" in a new interview with chief business correspondent Rebecca Jarvis. "What my grandfather did -- I have much respect for him."
Reese said he was stunned recently after consuming some limited‑edition Valentine's Reese's Mini Hearts, which he claimed tasted "off," prompting him to read the ingredient list.
Reese said he found that some seasonal or specialty Reese's items were labeled as "chocolate candy" with "peanut butter creme" rather than the brand's original milk chocolate and peanut butter formula.
"I've been around Reese's my whole life -- I never thought I had to look at the package to see what I was getting," he said, calling the iconic chocolate and peanut butter candy a "real, tangible product identity that consumers have trusted for a century."
The change raised questions online about when and why The Hershey Company -- to which the Reese family sold its namesake candy brand in 1963 -- began using different mixes for certain products, and whether the changes extend to the classic Reese's cups.
Reese subsequently wrote an open letter to The Hershey Company, which was shared on his LinkedIn page, cautioning that altering even select items could put the centurylong bond with consumers at risk.
The Hershey Company responded and acknowledged that some of its Reese's products have changed, but stressed that the traditional Reese's Peanut Butter Cups have not.
"When developing new product lines, we have made some recipe adjustments to allow us to make new shapes, sizes, and innovations that Reese's fans have come to love and ask for," the company said in a statement.
It added, "We make Reese's Peanut Butter Cups the same way we always have, using a one-of-a-kind peanut cup butter that is combined with iconic milk chocolate."
Speaking with "GMA" this week, Reese advised customers to look for milk chocolate and peanut butter in the ingredients list, rather than substitutes like chocolate candy and peanut butter creme, if they are fans of the original recipe.
