Jul 17

Jul 17 WHAT'S IN A HERSHEY'S BAR?

CHOCOLATE INDULGENCE, READER REQUESTED BRAND, THEN VS. NOW

HERSHEY’S BAR >> THEN vs. NOW

RAPID REVIEW

Updated May 2026

Here is a snapshot of the ingredients used in homemade Milk Chocolate >> some chocolates may contain Vanilla Extract and/or added Lecithin which is commonly used as as an emulsifying agent:

Once upon a time, Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Bar costs 5¢ and was positioned as “More Sustaining than Meat”.

THEN vs. NOW: Let’s see what’s in a Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Bar today — below right — compared to years ago when it was 20¢ — below left. (Sources: Historical Hershey’s Package; Hershey’s Store and Hersheyland Web sites 5/26)

MILK CHOCOLATE BAR COMPARISON: Below is a comparison of Hershey’s to a Closest To Homemade Milk Chocolate from Lake Champlain Chocolates. (Source: Lake Champlain Chocolates Web site 5/26)

Q: Which one would you rather eat?

Here are some other Milk Chocolate Bars which contain added Flavor:

Seen below, ‘57 Chocolate Bars are Closest To Homemade with no Corn Syrups, Flavors, Colors, PGPR or Chemical Preservatives. These are delicious Small Batch Chocolates made in Ghana with Ghana Cocoa.

*Neither money nor products are ever accepted to appear on the Closest To Homemade list*

Following are several Milk Chocolate Bars which are Closest To Homemade:

These Milk Chocolate Bars are Closest To Homemade and do contain Soy Lecithin:

See what’s in Hershey’s Syrup Then vs. Now >> remember when it used to come in a can? Hershey’s Syrup once had five ingredients and now it has 12.

HERSHEY'S SYRUP

Discover more food + beverages whose ingredients are Closest To Homemade in 300+ categories. Neither money nor products are ever accepted to appear on the Closest To Homemade list.

Closest To Homemade Master List