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The US and international formulas are not the same— here's exactly what changed and why.
Hershey USA
| Ingredient | 🇺🇸 US Version | 🌍 International | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bht | ✅ Not present | ✅ Not present | Banned Overseas |
The same company makes both versions — but they use different formulas depending on where the product is sold. In the EU, UK, and Canada, regulations require either banning certain additives outright or mandating warning labels (e.g., "may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children" for certain synthetic dyes).
Rather than print warning labels, most manufacturers reformulate the product for international markets — using natural colorants like paprika extract, beetroot concentrate, or spirulina instead of petroleum-derived synthetic dyes.
The US FDA has a different standard: it deems additives "Generally Recognized as Safe" (GRAS) based on older safety data, while EFSA (the European Food Safety Authority) applies stricter precautionary principles and requires manufacturers to prove safety rather than assume it.
Hershey's Kisses contain PGPR — a cheap emulsifier derived from castor oil that replaces cocoa butter — which would not be permitted in products labeled 'milk chocolate' under EU Chocolate Directive 2000/36/EC. The EU minimum of 30% cocoa versus the US minimum of 10% means EU consumers receive a product with three times the cocoa content by standard. BHT is absent from EU chocolate products and Hershey's inclusion of it in one of America's most iconic sweets represents a regulatory gap affecting tens of millions of American chocolate consumers.
Find clean brands without these ingredients — organized by category.