It’s been a few weeks of "are you KIDDING me" moments… from Presidential politics to the economy – heck, CrispyontheOustside sets up my state of mind in the right way:

Last week, our country faced major changes as a result of the worsening economy. Lehman Brothers went bankrupt. Bank of America purchased Merrill-Lynch. The Federal Reserve took over AIG in an $85 billion bailout. Even worse though, was Hershey’s decision to stop doing what they do best – manufacturing chocolate.

For a living I work with big brands and I don’t even want to get into the myriad problems with Hershey becoming known as the mock-chocolate candy option. Sell your stock now (which you should have done apparently 3 years ago). This is a prime indicator of things to come. If Hershey’s is willing to do this why not McDonald’s not using 100% beef in their burgers – which they do currently use, contrary to many rumors. Or Starbuck’s using mock-coffee.

Let’s be clear: Hershey’s is substituting Vegetable Oil for Cocoa Butter… in certain candies. Not their Milk Chocolate Bars. If it says "milk chocolate" it is otherwise it says "chocolate candy".

According to MSNBC:

Products such as Whatchamacallit, Milk Duds, Mr. Goodbar and Krackel no
longer have milk chocolate coatings, and Hershey’s Kissables are now
labeled “chocolate candy” instead of “milk chocolate.”

What we know is that corn sugar is cheaper than dirt and will transform
itself into croutons or jello so corporate food will soon be
transformed from something real to something else. Here’s a portion of
a response from Hershey’s to a letter about the Milk Chocolate-free
Kissables candy (my comments are in italics:

Thank you for contacting us about HERSHEY®’S KISSABLES™
Candy Coated Mini Kisses®. I am sorry you were disappointed and
appreciate you bringing this to our attention. Like they didn’t know…

A great deal of care is used in our manufacturing and distribution
processes to ensure that consumers receive quality products. Since the
basic ingredients are agricultural products, subtle flavor changes from
soil, temperature, and rainfall conditions may sometimes be detected by
consumers. Kind of like terroir?Our products can absorb odors from strongly scented products such as
soap, detergents, spices, moth balls and petroleum products. This can
happen if the product is stored too closely to such items. Printed
instructions on the shipping cases inform all distributors of the
proper handling and storage of Hershey’s products. Oh and yeah we took the cocoa butter out of your chocolate.

Great. Also according to MSNBC to add injury to insult Hershey’s is making candy WORSE for you:

Nutritionists do point out that cocoa butter can offer health benefits
— specifically by protecting chocolate’s antioxidant properties. What’s
more, cocoa butter doesn’t raise cholesterol levels.

SO if you want real chocolate again why not write Hershey’s
AND if you want your politicians to take a few days to decide if a check for 700 BILLION dollars to the guys who screwed it up in the first place is the right way to go… uh call your congressman.