Hershey sued for selling Reese’s chocolates without “pretty” decorations

The month of October usually brings a cavalcade of Halloween-themed candies reminiscent of bats, pumpkins or ghosts for trick-or-treaters and sugar addicts. But a new lawsuit claims that, for snack food company Hershey’s, There’s a fine line between deliciously decorated Halloween candy and ugly chocolate and peanut butter concoctions.

These are several themed Hershey’s Reese’s peanut butter products with decorative designs carved into the chocolate on their packaging: a smiling lantern face, a ghost’s eyes and mouth, or a soccer ball laces. Soccer.

cynthia kelly thought so this is what they gave him The lawsuit alleges that she purchased Reese’s Peanut Butter Pumpkins after seeing the packaging with a “cute” carved pumpkin near a supermarket’s cash register.

But the chocolates don’t include those decorations, the lawsuit says, adding that the packaging misled shoppers like Kelly who expected designs on their Halloween-themed candy.

Hershey spokesman Todd Scott said Washington Post The company does not comment on pending litigation.

The class action lawsuit filed Thursday in Florida District Court accuses Hershey of using packaging that falsely advertises the decorations on Reese’s products. Kelly’s experience and several YouTube videos of consumers and food critics expressing disappointment over undecorated chocolate were cited.

“It’s a trick, it’s no candy”One reviewer said holding a Reese’s white chocolate in its wrapper, which features a white ghost with carved eyes and mouth.

Hershey joins a long list of food companies that have faced lawsuits in recent years over advertising their products with mixed results. In 2022, a class action lawsuit accused Burger King of misleadingly presenting its Whopper burgers in advertisements as larger than actual size.

Kellogg faced several lawsuits alleging that it misadvertised the strawberry content of its Strawberry Pop-Tarts. Customers have also sued over the marketing of Taco Bell’s Mexican pizza, Starbucks’ Dragon Fruit Mango Lemonade, TGI Friday’s mozzarella sticks, and Red Bull’s energy drink.

Lawsuits against Taco Bell and Kellogg’s were dismissed, while lawsuits against Starbucks and Burger King continued, Cases settled against Red Bull and TGI Fridays. Kelly’s attorney, Anthony John Russo Jr., represented the plaintiffs in the lawsuits against Taco Bell and Burger King.

Russo previously explained, “Small situations – what some would consider small situations like this – can lead to unbridled behavior by large corporations.” Washington Post About the Burger King case.

The lawsuit against Hershey accuses the company of misleading customers and alleges that the deceptive packaging is an effort to increase sales. According to the lawsuit, previous versions of Reese’s candy containers accurately depicted them with the same shape, smooth, undecorated surfaces and no carved designs, and the packaging had only changed two to three years earlier.

The lawsuit claims Kelly would not have purchased her Reese’s Chocolate Pumpkin if it had not featured attractive designs. It also links to a dozen YouTube videos from other consumers who share Kelly’s frustration.

A video explains that the small text on Reese’s packaging appears to describe decorations carved into the chocolate as a “decorating suggestion.” Another video described an undecorated Reese’s chocolate pumpkin as “deformed” and “faceless.”

“I’m shocked,” says another reviewer before taking a bite of the chocolate. He added, “And the most annoying thing about it is that it’s quite pleasant.”

Washington Post