Course:FNH200/Assignments/2025/Hershey Chocolate Bar - Regular vs Zero Sugar

Introduction

Image 1: Hershey's Creamy Milk Chocolate Candy Bar (Back and Front)

Hershey’s Creamy Milk Chocolate is a traditional, sugar-sweetened treat meant for general consumption and enjoyment. Hershey’s Chocolate Candy Zero Sugar is a modified version tailored for individuals seeking reduced sugar options without giving up the chocolate experience.

Image 2: Hershey's Zero Sugar Milk Chocolate Candy (Back and Front)

Ingredient lists

1. Ingredient List

Hershey’s Creamy Milk Chocolate Bar	Hershey’s Chocolate Candy Zero Sugar
Sugar Milk Chocolate Cocoa butter Milk fat Lecithin (Soy) Polyglycerol polyricinoleate Natural Flavor	Malitol Cocoa butter Chocolate polydextrose Cream (milk) Milk fat Calcium carbonate Cocoa processed with alkali Maltodextrin Sodium caseinate (milk) Lecithin (soy) Natural and artificial flavor Polyglycerol polyricinoleate

2. Fat substitutes, sugar substitutes, and/or additives used

	Hershey’s Creamy Milk Chocolate Bar	Hershey’s Chocolate Candy Zero Sugar
Fat Substitutes	None	Maltodextrin
Sugar Substitutes	None	Malitol Polydextrose
Additives	Polyglycerol polyricinoleate	Calcium carbonate Sodium caseinate Lecithin (soy) Polyglycerol polyricinoleate

3. Roles of fat substitutes, sugar substitutes, and/or additives used in terms of the functional properties they contribute to the product

Fat-Substitute:

Maltodextrins: This is a carbohydrate-based fat substitute, which helps with replicating the smooth, creamy feeling of fat in the mouth but with less calories. This is especially useful in reduced-fat products, such as margarine, salad dressing, and frozen desserts.

Sugar-Substitutes:

Malitol: It is a sweetener with fewer calories, which benefits those who are trying to be mindful of their caloric intake. It is a “bulk” sweetener, meaning they can replace sugar volume-for-volume. They also create a menthol-like sensation in products like chewing gum and toothpaste.

Polydextrose: This is asubstitute in this product is chocolate polydextrose, which is a complex carbohydrate made from glucose. Chocolate polydextrose is not absorbed by the human body; hence, it causes little to no spikes in blood sugar.

Additives:

• Polyglycerol polyricinoleate (PGPR): This is used as an emulsifier that is commonly used in chocolate products, such as bars and coatings, due to its ability to reduce yield stress by minimizing the use of cocoa butter.
• Sodium Caseinate: It is a compound derived from casein. It is typically used to absorb water in a food product, which alters the food's texture, and as an emulsifier.
• Calcium Carbonate: It is typically added to food products for its nutritional benefits, as it adds calcium.
• Lecithin (Soy): It is a food additive that is used as an emulsifier and lubricant.

4. Compare and contrast the lists of the two products and explain differences

Hershey’s Creamy Milk Chocolate and Hershey’s Chocolate Candy Zero Sugar share several foundational ingredients that contribute to their flavor, texture, and stability. Both contain chocolate and cocoa butter as primary fat and flavor sources, along with milk-derived ingredients such as milk fat and cream for creaminess. Emulsifiers like lecithin (soy) and PGPR are present in both formulations to ensure a smooth, uniform texture by reducing viscosity and improving flow. Natural flavors are also included in both to enhance overall taste.

The main differences lie in their sweetening systems and additional processing agents. The regular milk chocolate uses sucrose as the primary sweetener, while the zero sugar version replaces it with maltitol, a sugar alcohol, and uses polydextrose and maltodextrin as bulking agents to mimic sugar’s physical properties. The zero sugar bar also contains cocoa processed with alkali (Dutch cocoa) to reduce bitterness and alter color, along with sodium caseinate, calcium carbonate as a mineral additive, and artificial flavors to enhance taste in the absence of sugar. These differences reflect the use of food science to replicate traditional chocolate’s sensory profile while meeting specific nutritional goals, such as reduced sugar content.

Labels

The regular Hershey’s chocolate bar contains sugar as its primary sweetener, milk, chocolate, cocoa butter, lactose, milk fat, soy lecithin, and natural flavouring. In contrast, the sugar free Hershey’s chocolate bar contains chocolate and cocoa butter but replaces sugar with maltitol (sugar alcohol with fewer calories than sugar). The zero sugar chocolate bar also contains other food additives like polydextrose, maltodextrin, PGPR (polyglycerol polyricinoleate) to help with texture, sweetness and overall taste in place of sugar. Hershey’s zero sugar chocolate bar also offers fewer calories (130 cal/32g vs 220 cal/45g), less fat (10g fat/32g vs 13g fat/45g), and no sugar compared to the regular Hershey’s chocolate bar, but provides less protein and calcium compared to the regular bar.

	Hershey’s Creamy Milk Chocolate Bar & Hershey’s Chocolate Candy Zero Sugar
Bilingual	Displays mandatory information, including ingredient lists, nutrition facts, and allergen warnings, meeting the bilingual packaging requirement in Canada.
Common Name	The front of the packaging clearly states Hershey’s chocolate bar or Hershey’s Milk Chocolate bar, making it very visible to consumers on what the brand is and what product it is
Net Quantity	The net quantities of 43g and 85g are displayed clearly on the front packaging in metric units as required.
Name of Business	The labels include the name, website, phone contact, and address of the responsible company, Hershey Canada Inc., which complies with identification requirements.
Ingredient List	The two products contain the listing of ingredients in decreasing order of weight. And in the zero-sugar one, the sugar substitutes (maltitol) are listed and appropriately stated.
Nutrition Table Facts	The nutrition facts table found on both bars of chocolate indicates the number of calories, macronutrients, and percentage of Daily Values. It sticks to the Canadian specifications of the format and content (black and white box, bilingual, letter size).
Allergens	Both bars contain milk and soy and are processed in facilities that may also handle tree nuts or peanuts. These are indicated in the “Contains” statements, as per allergen labelling laws.

References

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This Food Science resource was created by Course:FNH200.