The Farmer's Daughter USA

Hi, I'm Amanda! My family farms corn and soybeans in Southwest Michigan. I'm also a practicing attorney.

  • Home
  • Blog
  • Work with Me
    • Speaking
    • Giveaways
    • Social Media Consulting
    • Sponsored and Guest Posts
  • About Me
    • Media
    • Terms of Use

Hershey’s Caves to Anti-GMO Campaign

March 9, 2015

A couple weeks ago I woke up, turned on my computer, and started seeing anti-GMO groups celebrating (which is never a good thing). They were claiming that Hershey’s – the company that makes those delicious chocolate bars and candy kisses – had decided to remove all GMO ingredients from it’s products. Sickened by seeing another company fall to the anti-science rhetoric, I jumped over to the company’s website and found a press release about some changes the company was planning on making.

In the press release, Hershey’s didn’t mention GMOs at all. Rather, the company claims it wants to move toward “simpler” ingredients that consumers can understand. It has adopted 3 principals it thinks will appease consumers that are interested in food. Those principals include: Simpler Ingredients, Sharing What’s Inside, and Thoughtful and Responsible Sourcing of Ingredients. According to Confectionary News, Hershey will now purchase only non-GMO sugar.

Now, for context, I knew that the candy world had been seeing some movement lately. Nestle recently announced it was going to give up some artificial flavors and colors in its candies. As far as I know (even now) Nestle did not agree to remove any genetically engineered crops from its ingredients. This gave me some hope that Hershey’s was only paying lip service to the anti-GMO activists and maybe they weren’t going to totally cave. Instead of speculating, I decided to reach out to Hershey’s and ask them if this was true.

I was really disappointed in the answer. (You can read the answer below in full – no editing!)

Dear Amanda,

Thank you for writing to share your concerns about our announcement that we are beginning a transition to simple and easy-to-understand ingredients and greater transparency about what is in our products.

We are a consumer-centric company. Our dedication to great-tasting products includes listening to consumers and understanding their needs. We work to respond to consumers’ interests and expectations. Non-GM ingredients is something our consumers are telling us is important to them.

We also know that the FDA, regulatory authorities and the international scientific community have all concluded that genetically modified ingredients are safe for consumption. Scientific consensus on safety is very important when we look at our ingredients, but we also listen to our consumers, which is why we are working through this transition to make our ingredients simpler.

Just like consumers, farmers also have preferences and have to make choices. As we continue on this journey we will work closely with our supply chain partners to work collaboratively toward meeting these consumer preferences.

In 2015, you can expect new products in our snacking portfolio that include non-genetically modified ingredients such as a new U.S. snacking product called Brookside Dark Chocolate Fruit & Nut Bars. We will also transition of Hershey’s Kisses Milk Chocolates and Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Bar to simpler ingredients that are not genetically modified. However, our commitment to simple ingredients is a holistic approach across all of our ingredients and not a specific ingredient. This will be a phased, multi-year effort. Making these changes are complex and will be prioritized over a number of years to source ingredients, develop new formulas, and ensure the great taste and quality consumers expect from our products.

We are committed, however, to providing regular updates as we continue this journey.

We appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts. We value feedback and we will share your comments with leaders in the company.

Sincerely,
Jihan
Consumer Representative

I’m sorry, Jihan, but you’re completely wrong.

It is not your consumers that are telling you they want you to remove genetically engineered crops from your ingredient list. Your company was the focus of a highly organized, persistent, and well-funded campaign from anti-GMO groups. As reported at CNBC:

In response to tens of thousands of Facebook posts, emails, and telephone calls from consumers who took part in GMO Inside’s campaign calling on Hershey’s to move to non-GMO ingredients, the U.S. chocolate giant released a statement last week that it “will feature a lineup of simple ingredients, and transition some of its most popular chocolate brands, including Hershey’s Kisses Milk Chocolates and Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Bars to simpler ingredients.”

Oh, look, here is GMO Inside’s article calling for readers to put pressure on Hershey’s! Either Hershey’s doesn’t realize they were being targeted, or they thought they could take me for a fool. Both options are disappointing and wrong.

We’ve seen this before; right? Panera. Chik-fil-a. General Mills. A&W. Chipotle.

One by one the companies get bombarded with the anti-GMO smear tactics and one by one they all cave into the same promise to remove the offending ingredients. But we’ve also seen that just because a company caves doesn’t mean that activists – Food Babe, as an example – are going to suddenly tell their followers that they should go ahead and support the company. Instead, the activists crying for change just make more demands and want more things banned. (I can’t wait for them to start insisting that Hershey’s uses all organic ingredients…)

What we do know is that the general public probably isn’t concerned about GMOs, at least that’s the conclusion we can come to following several labeling campaigns. GMO labeling campaigns in California and Oregon both failed in the last few years. Even in parts of the country where pockets of voters seem concerned about this issue, ballot initiatives for labeling failed. Ironically, a recent study of consumers showed that 80% support labeling of foods that contain DNA (yeah, think about that one for a second).

Sorry Hershey’s, but it obviously wasn’t your consumers that were requesting you remove genetically engineered ingredients.

Besides, how dense can you be? Candy isn’t healthy. Sure, it’s fine in moderation, but do you really think people were afraid to buy your product because the ingredients contained GMOs and were (supposedly) bad for them?! I still believe most Americans have not fallen for the anti-GMO rhetoric. Their concern is mainly about feeding their family food that is safe and healthy, not about a political agenda. Candy doesn’t seem to be the type of food we associate with “healthy.”

But there is a bigger point floating around here. I’d like to go back to those 3 principals that Hershey’s suddenly wants to promote, specifically the one about thoughtfully and responsibly sourcing ingredients. According to Hershey’s that means:

We will continue to work with our suppliers to responsibly source sustainable ingredients, building on our progress against commitments to source 100 percent certified and sustainable cocoa and certified sustainable and traceable palm oil.

If Hershey’s really wanted to find ways to source more “sustainable” ingredients that are better for the environment, then it would have told these activists that it was keeping the genetically modified ingredients!

Not only are GMOs safe, they’re also better for our environment. Use of genetically modified crops has lowered our inputs and increased our yields. We use less overall herbicide than we did before. We’re now getting more food out of less acres. With a population about to hit 9 billion in less than 50 years from now, we’re going to need all the tools we can get to increase those yields on less resources. The fear campaigns against biotechnology threaten our ability to do that – and so do companies that buy into it.

But that’s probably too much common sense and science for Hershey’s to swallow – don’t want to look at facts or anything like that!

I won’t tell people to boycott Hershey’s (please, sometimes chocolate is necessary for survival, I know), but I know the next time I go to grab a candy bar at the checkout aisle, my hand probably won’t go for one of their products.

signature
Share this:
«
»

Filed Under: Biotechnology Tagged With: corporations, gmos, marketing

Comments

  1. Geoff says

    March 9, 2015 at 10:11 am

    Great! Now chocolate bars are healthy! Derp, derp. 😉

  2. Voice of tReason says

    March 9, 2015 at 10:19 am

    I think a rather significant problem here is the apparent scientific illiteracy of the many chemists and chemical engineers who work for this (or any major) food company.
    Basic chemical compounds, like sugars and starches, are identical, no matter the source. Sugars from a cane or a beat or a GM beat are indistinguishable.

    Realistically, I trust that the staff in product development and production at Hershey’s know this so, once again, the anti-GMO stance is nothing more than pandering to a vocal minority of Luddites and BS marketing.

  3. Rhonda S (Iowa Meets Maui) says

    March 9, 2015 at 11:46 am

    Our family has been excessive Hershey’s consumers for at least 40 years. My dad was a pharmacist and prided himself on his mad soda making skills. When training a new ‘soda jerk’, it was part of the contract he’d make his trainee sign: ‘Must use Hershey’s syrup, no other brand is acceptable’. It makes me sad to think that Hershey’s gave in to these activists. Given my public stance on avoiding ‘organic’ and non-GMO foods (due to misleading advertising, not in opposition to a growing system), it appears I will need to change brands after being a deeply loyal Hershey’s customer my entire life.

  4. Russ L says

    March 9, 2015 at 3:34 pm

    Question I thought I would never askmyself: ‘Am I willing to pay more to avoid nonGMO?’ Seems dumb. Re word: ‘Do I want to support a business that makes major (ingredient) decisions for the wrong reasons?’ Easily answered without hesitation.

  5. Cheryl says

    July 26, 2015 at 5:44 pm

    I’m opposed to GMOs.
    Hybridizing close or similar species is one thing, but I think gene splicing across Domains will prove irresponsible in the long run. It’s a game of rolluette. The human digestive system is a delicate balance and we don’t know the long term. In the short term, we’re already seeing people with Crohn’s, IBS, and acid reflux in young children. I’m convinced to two are related.

    • Amanda says

      August 27, 2015 at 8:18 pm

      Who care is you’re convinced? Causation does not equal correlation. I’m also not sure what you mean by the word “domains?” Do you mean species? That actually does happen in nature, too.

Hi, I'm Amanda. My family farms corn and soybeans in Southwest Michigan. I'm an attorney and I'm passionate about agriculture!

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Subscribe via Email

Archives

Latest on Facebook

The Farmer's Daughter

5 days ago

The Farmer's Daughter

Do you a plan for your estate? My latest for AGDAILY focuses on potential changes to the federal estate tax.

... See MoreSee Less

Perspective: A farmer's legacy shouldn't be a tax nightmare for their kin

www.agdaily.com

For farm families, estate taxes aren’t just an abstract policy debate -- they’re a very real threat to generational farms and the livelihoods they support.

View on Facebook

·
Share



Share on Facebook



Share on Twitter



Share on Linked In



Share by Email

The Farmer's Daughter

2 weeks ago

The Farmer's Daughter

If nothing else, this should keep you up at night. Every snake oil salesman is now in charge of HHS.

... See MoreSee Less

How RFK Jr. Is Boosting ‘Food Babe’ and Other MAHA Acolytes

www.wsj.com

The health and human services secretary has elevated lightly regulated wellness companies and allowed advisers to keep investments, after vowing to end conflicts of interest.

View on Facebook

·
Share



Share on Facebook



Share on Twitter



Share on Linked In



Share by Email

The Farmer's Daughter

3 weeks ago

The Farmer's Daughter

These concepts aren't mutually exclusive.

... See MoreSee Less


Photo

View on Facebook

·
Share



Share on Facebook



Share on Twitter



Share on Linked In



Share by Email

The Farmer's Daughter

4 weeks ago

The Farmer's Daughter

Imagine getting to donate a substantial amount of money to a charity of *your* choice and you choose....an animal rights activist group with questionable intentions??

... See MoreSee Less

Why agricultural advocates are lashing out at Celebrity Jeopardy! | AGDAILY

www.agdaily.com

David Friedberg, founder of The Climate Corporation, is drawing ire for his "charity" of choice on Celebrity Jeopardy!: Humane World for Animals.

View on Facebook

·
Share



Share on Facebook



Share on Twitter



Share on Linked In



Share by Email

The Farmer's Daughter

1 month ago

The Farmer's Daughter

RFK, Jr. and Elon Musk could have the duel of the century. I explain in my latest for AGDAILY

... See MoreSee Less

RFK Jr.: The most inefficient man in Trump's government | AGDAILY

www.agdaily.com

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s strategy for attacking research plays well with populist distrust in institutions, but it falls apart under scientific standards.

View on Facebook

·
Share



Share on Facebook



Share on Twitter



Share on Linked In



Share by Email

Latest on Instagram

Amanda Zaluckyj

thefarmersdaughterusa

Amanda | The Farmer's Daughter USA
I'm a proud farmer's daughter & advocate for modern agriculture. U.S. farmers are leaders in sustainability.

Perusing my photos from #Denmark and getting the i Perusing my photos from #Denmark and getting the itch to travel again.
These concepts aren't mutually exclusive. #farms # These concepts aren't mutually exclusive. #farms #farmfamily #environment #soilhealth #nutritiousfood
Stop worrying about labels and just eat them! Stop worrying about labels and just eat them!
Corn is a powerhouse! #corn #farming #growcorn # Corn is a powerhouse! 

#corn #farming #growcorn #USAGrown #usagriculture
Happy St. Patrick's Day! 🍀 Happy St. Patrick's Day! 🍀
The blood moon. 🌙 And proof I woke up at 2:15 a The blood moon. 🌙 And proof I woke up at 2:15 am to see it!
3 years. 💔 #slavaukraini #supporukraine #ukrai 3 years. 💔

#slavaukraini #supporukraine #ukraine #glorytoukraine🇺🇦
Mischa will not suffer a snowman in her yard. ❄️☃️

#dogslife #dogsofinstagram #blacklab #pittiemix #snowday #snowman
We all know RFK, Jr. is well known for vaccine dis We all know RFK, Jr. is well known for vaccine disinformation. But he's also a danger to agriculture, even promising to "weaponize" regulatory agencies against our farm families.

#rfk #farmersdaughter #farmers #conspiracytheories #puremichiganfarm #rfkjr
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Copyright © 2025 · Website Design By Jumping Jax Designs