Reese's family member escalates battle with Hershey over chocolate ingredients, blasts 'PR stunt'

In a recent interview with NewsNation this month, Reese accused the Pennsylvania-based candy giant of swapping out "milk chocolate for compound coating."

Compound coating is a cheaper, chocolate-like product that does not contain cocoa butter - a key requirement for real chocolate. Instead, it uses vegetable fats.

"If it doesn't say milk chocolate, then it doesn't have cocoa butter - and they're using vegetable oils, and they quietly swapped that out," Reese said in the interview.

His criticism appears to focus on certain seasonal or specialty items, specifically Reese's Unwrapped Chocolate Peanut Butter Crème Mini Hearts.

"They have the ability to switch back [to] using real milk chocolate in three days," Reese said.

"This is all a stunt. They're hoping that the outrage will die down."

He added, "I can't go on representing being the grandson of Reese's when the product is total bunk. You have no idea how devastating it is."

"The core recipes for our Hershey's chocolate bars and Reese's peanut butter cups have not changed."

The official also shared a statement from the Reese family. 

It stated that they "would like to make it clear that we have no involvement in, nor do we support, the recent claims made by Brad Reese regarding The Hershey Company."

The comment went on, "His statements and opinions are entirely his own and do not reflect the view or position of our family. … We believe H.B. Reese would take great pride in the products produced under his name today and in the integrity with which the brand continues to be managed."

Brad Reese's comments went viral earlier this year. 

In an X post that drew some 26,000 likes and more than 820,000 views, thousands of commenters sounded off, with almost no positive response to the changes.

Sophia Compton of Fox News Digital contributed reporting.