Hershey's Kisses ingredients: what's banned overseas?

About Hershey's Kisses

Hershey's Kisses are iconic bite-sized foil-wrapped chocolate candies produced by The Hershey Company, sold at grocery chains, mass retailers, and convenience stores in the US since 1907. The brand extends to dozens of varieties including caramel-filled, candy cane, almond, and seasonal flavors. Kisses are among the most recognizable confectionery products in the US.

Common concerns with Hershey's Kisses products

Hershey's Kisses contain PGPR as a cocoa butter substitute and artificial vanilla flavor (vanillin) in the milk chocolate. Some specialty flavored Kisses (e.g., candy cane, caramel) contain artificial flavors and in some cases artificial colors. The US Hershey chocolate formula — also used in Kisses — is noticeably different from European chocolate in using artificial flavor and synthetic emulsifiers to reduce cost.