Hershey Shelves Cocaine Look-Alike Candy

CEO Says Company Will Stop Producing The Powdered-Sweetener Mint

(AP)  The Hershey Co. is stopping production of Ice Breakers Pacs in response to criticism that the mints look too much like illegal street drugs, the company's president and chief executive officer said Thursday.

Hershey CEO David J. West disclosed the decision during a conference call about the company's newly released fourth-quarter earnings report.

Ice Breakers Pacs, which first hit store shelves in November, are small dissolvable pouches with a powdered sweetener inside. The pouches come in blue or orange and bear the Ice Breakers logo.

Members of Philadelphia's police narcotics squad said the mints closely resemble tiny heat-sealed bags used to sell powdered street drugs. They said the consequences could be serious if, for example, a child familiar with the mints found a package of cocaine.

"Some community and law-enforcement leaders have expressed concern" about the shape of pouch and the Xylitol sweetener inside, and about the possibility of the mints being mistaken for illegal substances, West said.

"We are sensitive to these viewpoints and thus have made the decision that we will no longer manufacture Ice Breakers Pacs," he said.

Ice Breakers Pacs remain on store shelves but are expected to be sold out early this year and no more are being made, West said. Kirk Saville, a company spokesman, said they had been distributed across the United States on a limited basis.

Hershey has said the mints were not intended to resemble anything.

[gmond]

I remember when Binaca was sold in high schools as liquid acid...not that I personally had anything to do with that.

[dguyhere]

I for one am glad they are no longer making it. It reduces the chances of me getting ripped off when I''m trying to score. LOL.

[bm6005]

Hershey is moving it''s production out of Hershey, PA to I believe Mexico. Another good reason not to buy their products!! I used to drive past the Hershey plant in ''67 on the PA. pike, what a wonderful smell!

[michellem99-2009]

A real american would do the right thing..make sure the govt follows the constution. The leaders want to control all things..and people..fight illegal wars..We will vote..not one is worth our vote. Look at the fool yer put in the white house..I never voted for him. They would tell the sorry asre govt that Bush caused 9/11..He did..so ye can''t be free to fly abd talk a glass of water on the plane.EVERY THING IS BANNED ..LOVELY..THIS IS WHAT YE WANTED..YE WILL LEARN THAT WAR IS OVER OIL AND GOVT CONTROL..MCVET..HE MUST HAVE SERVED THE OLD AMERICA..

[wogerwabbit]

No matter what all you buzz killers say (good God, can''t you people on these boards do anything other than ***?), I think it''s laudable that they only had the product on the market for two months and after being informed of the situation, killed a potentially profitable product line immediately.

I sure didn''t know they made cocaine in dissolvable packets like that because I don''t do cocaine. And the people that thought up the candy packets probably don''t either. So lighten up, will ya? We''re not all as miserable as you... and don''t want to be.

and McVet, he''s right... the sieg heil nazi stuff just ruins the credibility of your message. You have a lot of good stuff to say... just leave off the BS and pencil whip these pinheads into submission with the truth. Let us be gentlemen (and women) as we defeat the barbarians who''ve pillaged our republic from within and show the way real Americans act. Chill out! We can always get the guns out and deal with it a bit more dramatically if the need arises later.

[michellem99-2009]

foster mother used to give us them candy cigettes in the 60s..member them crzmeat..I never understood why candy cigs .and cigars.they use to have bubble gum cigars..

[davefanatic]

While we''re at it let''s pull candy cigarettes completely off the market and, for that matter, any mint or candy in tablet form. Keep control of your kids and keep them out of the medicine cabinet. Really, what are the chances a kid is going to find a pack of this drug on the side of the street and pick it up and eat it? Any kid too young to know better should not be without adult supervision in the first place.

[taddles-2009]

"Hershey has said the mints were not intended to resemble anything."

Of course not...a big US conglomerate like Hershey wouldn''t stoop to something as low and vile as packaging their product to look like drugs so it would be "cool" for kids to have...oh wait, they''re a big US conglomerate...of course they would. BA$****$!

Boycott Hershey!

[cattlekate]

crazy stoopid.

[keithle1]

Got to buy as many of them as I can find now so I can sell them on Ebay.

[juwboy]

Way back, I analysed a sparkling, white powder that had been sold as cocaine.

It was benzoic acid, a sweet-tasting food preservative.

[Krazcarl]

Way back in high achool I knew a guy that sold tic tacs for speed some folks came back and bought more I never figured that out...

[fibonacci_]

yea, really. you might as well sell mints as syringes.

[watcher269-2009]

*** were they thinking?

[trglazier]

The brain surgeon that thought up this great product probably needs to update his resume.

[jsilver2th]

watch out- powdered sugar is next...
now bid brother tells us what candy should look like...
i feel better if they spent their energy housing our homeless vets...

[feelfree1]

It is "believed" that the Hershey Corporation will now shift their focus towards developing a cocaine product that looks like candy.

[cantshutup]

hey hershey, your chocolate sux, i only buy european!

[cantshutup]

i''m guessing some genius came up with this stupid idea and got paid big bucks...what were they thinking???

[michellem99-2009]

Yes Dear, IT IS CALLED SUGAR.. Too much is not good for yer body..