Lactose-intolerant chocolate lovers, rejoice! The Hershey Company will release vegan versions of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and chocolate bars this spring.
According to a press release on March 7, these new confections will be made with plant-based milk chocolate, replacing dairy milk with oats.
With its new offerings, the company hopes to appeal to customers with dietary restrictions or those seeking healthier snack options with fewer ingredients.
While the new Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups will be available in March, Hershey’s Plant-Based Extra Creamy with Almonds and Sea Salt will be released in April.
Teal Liu, the brand manager of Better For You at Hershey, explained in the release that Hershey’s “purpose is to create more moments of goodness for consumers.” With the addition of these new chocolate bars, Hershey says these “moments are now more accessible for chocolate lovers looking for plant-based alternatives.”
In its release, Hershey explains that offering plant-based alternatives is just another step in adapting to consumers’ evolving needs and preferences. It has also made portion-controlled treats, no sugar added, zero sugar, and high protein versions of its products.
Yet it is important to note that being plant-based does not necessarily mean a snack is lower in calories. Both the 1.4-ounce package of plant-based Reese’s Cups and a regular 1.5-ounce package of traditional Reese’s Cups contain 210 calories, as NBC 5 reported.
Customers should also expect to shell out more cash for these plant-based options compared to their traditional counterparts. Although Hershey has not released the exact pricing details, a 1.4-ounce package of two plant-based Reese’s Cups is listed on Rite Aid’s website for $2.49. This is about $1 more than the regular package.
Hershey’s latest move might have been made with younger consumers in mind, according to The Washington Post. In a 2021 survey conducted by Euromonitor, a market research firm, 54% of Generation Z consumers reported limiting their consumption of animal-based products.
In Europe and the United Kingdom, mainstream plant-based chocolates from Cadbury and Nestle have been sold since 2021. In the U.S., consumers looking for these alternatives were limited to premium brands until now.
Some might be struck by Hershey’s avoidance of the term “milk chocolate” to describe its new Plant-Based Extra Creamy with Almonds and Sea Salt bar. It is, after all, made with oat milk.
In fact, the Food and Drug Administration recently released draft rules stating that soy, oat, almond, and other beverages that use the term “milk” in their labeling may continue to do so. However, the draft rules recommend including the source — e.g. “almond milk” — in order to avoid confusion with customers, as reported by CBS News.
Plant-based milk products have grown in popularity among U.S. consumers and currently generate around $3 billion a year in revenue, according to Statista.
Nevertheless, the sales of non-dairy milk cannot hold a candle to those of traditional cow’s milk, which raked in $12.3 billion in the 52 weeks ending on January 28, 2022, according to market trend analyst NielsenIQ, per CBS News.