Schlaerth 1

Katherine Schlaerth

Prof. Freeland

English Composition II

28 March 2021

American vs. English Milk Chocolate

Americans’ eyes were opened to a horrific inequality when one Brit took to Tik

Tok to expose a sordid truth: American milk chocolate tastes like putrid vomit compared

to theirs. Imagine the shock to learn that a beloved sweet in our country was being

bashed by others online. Was every fun-sized Halloween candy just a tiny bag of trash?

Hershey’s milk chocolate is a cultural mainstay, and one could argue it’s as American

as apple pie, from the classic bar used in s'mores to the foil wrapped Kisses that show

up for every holiday. I never thought to question that our chocolate tasted any different,

or in fact worse, to milk chocolate in England. But then I remembered how my little

sister always complained after eating Hershey’s chocolate and running to drink water to

clear her throat. She said she always felt like she had “chocolate bubbles” stuck in her

throat. I also had a similar experience, but I just never knew what to call it or what it

was. So when the debate came up after the Tik Tok video, it made me wonder what

properties American milk chocolate had that could give me “chocolate bubbles”.

When I was ten years old, my mom and I went on a trip to England, and we

bought a bag of English mixed chocolates at the grocery store to bring home. My mom’s

argument for why we should tote it all back for my sisters was that “chocolate is just so

much better here and I want them to try the English version.” I do remember that it didn’t
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give me the same weird throat-coat that I always get from American chocolate. Again,

what was causing this and why? In order to understand whether English or American

milk chocolate is actually “better” than the other, one has to understand the factors that

influence the flavor in order to understand the complexity of the differences. American

and English milk chocolate differ for many complex reasons that challenge the

perception that one is a higher quality or "better" product than the other. The reasons for

their differences are geographical, cultural, and scientific. After digging into these

factors, I discovered that there is no “right” way to make milk chocolate or judge the two

against one another.

Before the 1800s, chocolate was consumed as a beverage. The first solid-form

“eating chocolate” (what we would call dark chocolate) was developed in England in the

mid-1800s, and shortly after that, the first chocolate bars made with milk were

developed by a Swiss chocolatier (Garnsworth). This marked the birth of what we call

“milk chocolate.” Although the Swiss kept their method for making milk chocolate a

closely guarded secret, the English company Cadbury developed its first milk chocolate

bar in 1897 (Culture Trip). Meanwhile, in America, Hershey developed their classic milk

chocolate recipe 1900, just three years after Cadbury (Thought and Co). The two

companies became the largest mass producers of milk chocolate in their respective

countries, and thus began the great British-American milk chocolate rivalry.

Both companies grew and prospered throughout the 20th century. Hershey’s

thrived as the main mass marketed milk chocolate throughout America. Cadbury had

the same role in the U.K., especially after they advertised their Dairy Milk chocolate bar

as being good for children because of its milk content (BBC News). But Cadbury’s
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Creme Eggs became very popular in America after the introduction to the US market in

1971 (Booth). However, the product itself was made in England. This was a thorn in

Hershey’s side. They claimed that Cadbury had stolen their idea, although Cadbury

invented the cream egg in the late 1920s (Booth). Because of this intense rivalry,

Hershey’s took some bold moves to lock out Cadbury from the American market,

possibly because they feared Cadbury’s growing popularity. As part of their business

strategy to remain the top milk chocolate maker in America, Hershey’s bought the rights

to make and distribute Cadbury chocolate bars in America, such as the notorious egg,

the Dairy Milk bar, Mounds and Almond Joy. Hershey’s is also allowed to tweak the

chocolate recipe and process when they make Cadbury products in the US. However,

British-made Cadbury products were still being imported for enthusiasts of the original

recipe. But then, in 2015, Hershey took Cadbury to court and the result was a trade law

that banned British-made Cadbury chocolate from entering the US. Fans of English

Cadbury products were outraged, and even launched a petition on MoveOn.org

(Spector). It is believed that Hershey’s did this as a marketing strategy to improve their

business, or at least protect them from competition. But what, exactly, was Hershey’s

protecting themselves from? Was Hershey’s afraid that American consumers would

start comparing their US-made Cadbury chocolate to the original Cadbury product and

find that the English Cadbury was better? That had the potential to be catastrophic for

Hershey’s milk chocolate products. In order to find out if the two could even be so

different and if Americans could really turn away from the Hershey’s flavor we are used

to, it’s necessary to look at the factors involved in making milk chocolate and whether or

not the differences could warrant such a fear of an English chocolate takeover. The
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main differences could come from a variety of steps along the way, from the cocoa

plants themselves, to the way they are processed and stored, to the factory

manufacturing and the way the ingredients are processed and combined to make the

final product.

The location of the cocoa pod’s growth is an important factor that affects the

chocolate's flavor (or “flavour,” if we prefer the British). Africa, Latin America, and South-

East Asia are the main regions for cocoa farming and exports. The environmental and

soil conditions need to be at their best to have good growth in the cocoa plants. These

conditions include the temperature, rainfall, humidity, soil type, soil PH, soil nutrition,

and more (Afoakwa). The environment where cocoa is grown affects the chemistry of

the cocoa itself depending on the differences noted above. Another environmental

factor that influences the flavor of the cocoa pods is the risk of disease in the plant.

Farmers use chemicals that are provided and approved by local agricultural extension

officers to prevent those diseases from developing (Afoakwa). The chemicals are

technically safe, but they could affect the taste since pesticide “‘Contamination’ is

currently defined as ‘cocoa which has smoky, hammy or other off flavor taste or smell,

or which contains a substance not natural to cocoa’”(Batemen). In the case of

comparing Hershey’s and Cadbury chocolate, the location and farming practices are

most likely unimportant as far as flavor goes, because both chocolate makers get their

product from the same West African countries.

There is also a special, naturally occurring protein that has been found to affect

the different flavors of chocolate. It is called the “7S Vicilin'' and it is mostly in the aroma

aspect of chocolate (Nariman). Another factor that affects the taste is the “sequence
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and the amount of amino acids'' and “both are determined by the plant’s DNA”

(Nariman). These factors aren’t as easily controlled as the location of cocoa growth.

They can happen naturally at random, so even the cocoa grown at the same location

can be different. In effect, this probably has little effect on the flavor of mass produced

chocolate like Cadbury and Hershey’s.

The next step of the process after importing the cocoa is the manufacturing itself.

But here’s the challenge: neither Hershey nor Cadbury has revealed what exactly goes

on inside their factories-- it’s top secret! In order to get an idea of what might happen,

however, and to understand the basics of how milk chocolate is made, a certain factory

in America shared the process of how they make their chocolate. That factory dries out

and ferments the cocoa beans themselves (Science Channel, Youtube). The beans are

then roasted and shaken in a machine to get the shells off. What’s left is something

called cocoa nibs. The cocoa nibs are then put in machines to grind them until it’s

runny, and that product is called “chocolate liquor” (Science Channel, Youtube). The

liquor is pressed to get cocoa butter, and cocoa solids are left over. The cocoa then

goes through a process of dehydration, mixing, and hydration. During the mixing stage

of the liquor, cocoa butter is added back to get the desired viscosity. The liquor is then

combined with sugar and milk powder to make milk chocolate (Science Channel,

Youtube). The differences in flavor between Hershey’s and Cadbury likely come from

somewhere in the processes above, including how the sugar and milk are added and

processed. Again, there are more secrets!

Conching is one of the final processes involved in making milk chocolate. The

liquor is combined with sugar and milk or milk powder and then is rolled repeatedly for a
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period of hours or even days in order to achieve the smooth, melt-in-your mouth texture

(Smithsonian). It is also a crucial step in developing the rich color, aroma, and most

importantly, the flavor. However, neither Hershey nor Cadbury have revealed their

conching process or length of time. Given that they are both mass marketed, they

probably do not get conched for as long as a fine Swiss milk chocolate like Lindt.

Therefore, it could be that this is part of but not the entire factor involved in the

difference of flavor or even texture.

The ingredients’ quality in both countries is another important factor in the

contrast of flavor. In England, milk chocolate has to contain 25% or more of cocoa

solids to be considered “milk chocolate” and milk is listed as the first ingredient. In

comparison, American milk chocolate has to contain 10% or more of chocolate liquor to

be considered “milk chocolate” and sugar is listed as the first ingredient (Spector). The

amount of cocoa, sugar, and milk present can take the flavor a long way. The sugar

could dull the milky-ness of the chocolate if there is too much present. If the milk

chocolate is lacking in sugar, the flavor would be less sweet and more bitter. It seems

that the main differences in Hershey’s and Cadbury chocolate likely stem from the

ingredients.

It’s probably the milk. The main factor in the difference of flavor between

American and British milk chocolate is the way that milk fats in chocolate are controlled

in order to make a product that can last longer on shelves. Milton Hershey, when he

wanted to mass market his chocolate, first tried switching to Holstein from Jersey cows

in order to reduce the fat quantity and therefore improve shelf stability (milk fat doesn’t

keep very long). It’s the fats in a food that can go bad, through oxidation and
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fermentation, so a mass-market manufacturer of chocolate would have had to find a

way to stabilize the fats so the milk chocolate doesn’t become rancid (Chocolate Class).

After switching types of cows from higher fat-producing to a low-fat milk producer,

Hershey found it did not solve the problem. This leads to what is likely the major factor

in flavor differences between Hershey and Cadbury.

What Hershey discovered was a process known as lipolysis. Lipolysis is where

the “fatty acids in the milk decompose, resulting in a rancid taste” (Nariman). Butyric

acid is an end product from lipolysis and it is the main ingredient that gives the

chocolate the flavor of rancid vomit. Hershey’s was the first company to use lipolysis in

their milk chocolate to improve and extend shelf life. This resulted in chocolate that had

a distinct flavor. Since consumers who were the target of mass marketed Hershey bars

had probably never tasted any other chocolate. Americans identified the soured taste of

butyric acid with milk chocolate. Over time, this flavor became the norm for American

milk chocolate. Many other chocolate companies in America even started adding butyric

acid to their chocolate so it would have the same taste as Hershey’s.

Cadbury, on the other hand, does not use lipolysis. Because of this, it doesn’t

have the shelf life of Hershey’s milk chocolate. Since England is a smaller country, it

takes less time to ship milk chocolate to stores. Unlike Cadbury, Hershey’s had to make

chocolate that could be shipped around the US, which is larger than England. If

Hershey’s were to forego lipolysis early on, maybe they would never have been able to

give the average American the opportunity to taste milk chocolate. It was an affordable

and available luxury for the everyday person. As long as the everyday person didn’t

know what milk chocolate tasted like without the vomit flavor added. Which brings us
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back to the original story: the ban on English Cadbury by Hershey’s, and whether or not

they had a good cause to be worried about English milk chocolate making it onto

grocery store shelves.

Milk chocolate is a worldwide sugary favorite. Since it is made around the world,

there are bound to be some differences in flavor. There are many factors that influence

these variations that cause milk chocolate to taste different depending on where it is

made. But the key factor is that people tend to think that the milk chocolate they are

used to is the way it is supposed to taste, and often people prefer chocolate from their

own country. This was recently highlighted in the social media debate between the

Americans and Brits on who has the better milk chocolate. But in order to understand

whether one milk chocolate is actually “better” than another, one has to understand the

factors that influence the flavor and then they will see that while there isn’t one “right”

way to make milk chocolate. It’s just that most people get attached to their memories

and experiences, and chocolate plays a big role in our lives. It may very well be that

English milk chocolate is in fact better tasting and possibly even of better quality than

American milk chocolate, but maybe it just doesn’t matter. We like what we’re used to

and there’s no accounting for taste.

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Works Cited

Afoakwa, Emmanuel Ohene. Chocolate Science and Technology. Wiley-Blackwell,

2016.

Batemen, Roy. “Pesticide Use in Cocoa” (v. 12/08/2008)

http://www.dropdata.org/cocoa/Manual_ICCO_1stEd_c.pdf

Bellis, Mary. "History of Hershey's Chocolate and Milton Hershey." ThoughtCo, Aug. 26,

2020, thoughtco.com/milton-hershey-and-hersheys-chocolate-history-1991911.

Booth, Jessica. “The Untold Truth Of Cadbury Creme Eggs.” Mashed.com, Mashed, 27

Mar. 2019, www.mashed.com/146678/the-untold-truth-of-cadbury-creme-

eggs/#:~:text=The%20U.K.%20Cadbury%20Creme%20Eggs%20are%20actually

%20banned%20in%20the%20United%20States&text=Disagreements

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%20version%20here.

“Cadbury Drops 'Glass and a Half' Phrase from Wrappers.” BBC News, BBC, 28 Sept.

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%20cool.
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DiscoveryTV, director. The Whole Process Of Making Chocolate | How Do They Do It?

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