Hershey announced Tuesday that they are considering removing corn syrup from some of its products.
The Hershey Co.'s chief research and development officer, Will Papa, said that they plan to replace the corn syrup with sugar. Though they are using both in some of the products, the move to prioritize on the latter comes from listening to what their customers want.
Papa said that they listen to what the customers say, and they are saying that they prefer sugar over corn syrup. If the plan pushes through, Hershey will be the first high-profile company to ditch the syrup.
The high-fructose corn syrup has gained criticisms for causing diabetes and weight gain, but experts say there aren't enough proof to show that it's worse than regular sugar.
According to the Center for Science in Public Interest, there’s no evidence that the corn syrup has worse effects than other sweeteners. The American Medical Association also said there’s no reason so far to restrict the use of corn syrup.
Hershey confirmed in an email to Associated Press that they're still studying the case. There's no time frame on when they'll make the change.
Hershey said in a statement, “Our aim is to be transparent with our consumers about the ingredients we use in our products. Once we have more information to share, we will be back in touch.”
Jeff Beckman, a Hershey representative, cited Take 5, Fifth Avenue, York and Almond Joy as brands that already use corn syrup. For regular Hershey bars, the brand uses plain sugar.
Corn Refiners Association president, John Bode, said that the company has been trying to alleviate the negative perception on corn syrup. The number of companies replacing the product has relatively slowed down.
Beckman said that some companies have switched back to corn syrup since they didn’t see considerable increase in sales after the change.
