Hershey’s Kisses and Milk Chocolate to Go GMO-Free
Hershey’s says it will remove all GMO ingredients from Hershey’s Kisses and milk chocolate by the end of this year. The company plans to replace GMO sugar beets with cane sugar and use non-GMO soy lecithin. It’s all part of the company’s plan to simplify its ingredients. Hershey is also removing the emulsifier polyglycerol polyricinoleate and artificial vanillin, and says it’s transitioning out of using artificial colors, synthetic colors, high fructose corn syrup and gluten.
“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 at The Hershey Company. “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.”
The company says it’s focused on three main principles: using simple ingredients that consumers know and trust, labeling packaging so consumers know what goes into their products, and responsibly sourcing its ingredients, like using more sustainable cocoa and 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.”
Hershey’s Brookside brand will introduce new snacking products like Brookside Dark Chocolate Fruit and Nut Bars, which will feature simple ingredients. The company’s plan to remove GMOs from Hershey’s Kisses and milk chocolate comes just as Nestlé announced it would remove all artificial flavors and colors from its candy bars.
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Image of kisses from Shuttershock
