The Hershey Co. is considering changing the sweetener used in some of its products to sugar, a clear sign of the declining demand for corn syrup.
Hershey Co. Chief Research and Development Officer Will Papa declared that the company is moving toward the use of sugar in sweetening some of its products.
"We take into account what consumers want. And consumers are telling us between the two, they prefer sugar," he said.
Currently, the maker of the scrumptious Hershey Kisses and Reese's Peanut Butter Cups are using a mix of high-fructose corn syrup and sugar in sweetening some of the world's most popular baking products, candies and chocolates.
The news about the consideration of changing the sweetener used in Hershey products was confirmed by company spokesperson Jeff Beckman in an emailed statement, though he clarified that the company has no particular timeframe as to when the change would be made.
"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," a statement from the company indicated.
According to Beckman, products made with corn syrup include Almond Joy, Fifth Avenue, Take 5 and York. He also clarified that the classic Hershey bar is made with sugar.
First reported by the Associated Press, the chocolate manufacturer's move came at a critical time for corn syrup makers as rumors about their product fueling weight gain and diabetes surfaced.
However, experts declared that there is not enough evidence to conclude that corn syrup has worse effects in the human body than regular sugar.
Public health officials and nutrition specialists in the United States continue to scrutinize the use of corn syrup in many of the popular American food, leading to the plummet in demand for the sweetener in the country.