Deal With Hershey’s Puts An End To Import Of Cadbury Chocolates

[Panich52]

It will soon be more difficult for consumers who prefer the taste of British-made chocolate to get their sweet-tooth fix. A new deal between Hershey’s and Let’s Buy British Imports essentially puts a stop to the import of many iconic British chocolate brands from overseas.

The New York Times reports the two parties agreed to stop the import of all British-produced Cadbury chocolate, as well as KitKat bars, Toffee Crisps and Yorkie chocolate bars after Hershey’s claimed the products infringed on its trademarks and trade dress licensing.

(Once again, don’t worry about not having a Cadbury Creme Egg this Easter. Hershey’s has a license agreement to manufacture Cadbury’s chocolate in the U.S., albeit with a different recipe.)

The issue doesn’t come down to the chocolate itself, as chocolate made in Britain has a distinctly different recipe.

For example, the Times reports, British chocolate has a higher fat content; the first ingredient listed on a British Cadbury’s Dairy Milk (plain milk chocolate) is milk. In an American-made Cadbury’s bar, the first ingredient is sugar.
Instead the decision to stop importing the goods from overseas rests on the products’ packaging. Toffee Crisps comes in an orange packaging and yellow-lined brown script, which Hershey’s says too closely resembled that of the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, while Yorkie bars could be considered an infringement on the York peppermint patty, the Times reports.

While you would often be hard-pressed to find a British-made chocolate bar in the aisle of your local supermarket, many small, independently owned speciality stores regularly stocked the items.

One British goods retailer tells the Times that the ban on importing the treats will likely put her out of business.

The impending ban on imported British chocolate was met with opposition not only from business owners but consumers. A petition was created on MoveOn.org protesting Hershey’s actions and seeking to allow the treats entrance to the U.S. So far, the petition has garnered more than 10,000 signatures.

(text edited)

More, incld link to NYT story & petition:

http://consumerist.com/2015/01/26/deal-with-hersheys-puts-an-end-to-import-of-cadbury-chocolates/

[ND-Dem]

1. free trade!! (except when a big corporation shoves its weight around...)

[Control-Z]

2. Some of Hershy's chocolates

are waxy tasting. I sure do love my Cadbury Eggs. I wish they could work this out.

[shenmue]

3. I'll have to order online from the U.K.

That will be expensive, but no way am I giving up my British candy bars.

[Kablooie]

4. Lindt yawns.

[dembotoz]

5. the first time i smuggled goods was bringing a suitcase of coors back to the midwest.

the 2nd time was when i was to visit a friend who moved to England and she could not get her favorite skin cream--think she was happier to see the 2 jars than to see me.....

would assume that canada would not be covered so a bustling black market of sorts will soon be established

the british stuff will gain in reputation because one had to be naughty to get it
and the hershey stuff????
well they don't call stomach flu the hershey squirts for nothing.....

[niyad]

6. have been boycotting hershey since it shipped so many good jobs to mexico. milton hershey

must be rolling in his grave over what is being done to his company.

hershey is lousy chocolate.