Hershey's

Hershey's Special Dark Mildly Sweet Chocolate Bar

Poor Confidence: Very High - ingredient list is complete, PGPR presence confirmed, sugar-first formulation documented, alkali processing disclosed, lack of cacao percentage verified across sources

Why Poor

  1. Triggered Poor tier via triggered_if_any conditions: cacao percentage below 45% (evidenced by sugar as first ingredient and no disclosure), alkali cocoa as ingredient component, and PGPR as emulsifier which is explicitly listed as category red flag and Poor tier trigger
  2. Multiple disqualifiers prevent higher tier consideration: PGPR presence disqualifies Excellent/Very Good/Good tiers per category thresholds, alkali-processed cocoa disqualifies all upper tiers, lack of cacao percentage disclosure fails transparency requirements for any tier above Poor
  3. Fails all positive tier requirements: no 45%+ verified cacao content, no fair trade or organic certification, no single origin claims, contains negative signals (PGPR, alkali processing, milk fat in dark chocolate), sugar-first formulation indicates compound chocolate characteristics rather than true dark chocolate standards

Score Breakdown

Ingredient Integrity poor - Product lists sugar as first ingredient indicating low cacao content, uses cocoa processed with alkali (Dutch processing) which is acceptable but not preferred, contains PGPR which is a category negative signal, lacks cacao percentage disclosure which violates category transparency requirements, likely below 50% cacao threshold based on sugar-first formulation
Processing Level negative - Cocoa processed with alkali is disclosed but represents excessive alkali processing, PGPR presence indicates compound chocolate production methods, mass-market ultra-processing evident from ingredient profile, no positive processing indicators like stone ground or bean-to-bar
Evidence & Transparency very poor - No cocoa origin country disclosed, no cacao percentage stated, no information on cocoa bean variety, no supplier relationships disclosed, no traceability information, no labor practice policies, no deforestation commitments, fails all minimum_for_excellent requirements and most required_disclosures
Product Quality This is a mass-market dark chocolate product with significant quality compromises. Sugar as first ingredient indicates cacao content likely below 50%, possibly below 45%. Contains PGPR which is explicitly a category negative signal and disqualifier for higher tiers. Alkali-processed cocoa reduces nutritional value. No cacao percentage disclosed violates transparency standards. Milk fat in dark chocolate formulation is questionable. Complete absence of ethical sourcing certifications or origin transparency. Only kosher certification provides minimal third-party verification.

About

HERSHEY'S SPECIAL DARK Mildly Sweet Chocolate Bar is a mainstream dark chocolate candy bar from The Hershey Company, available in multiple size variants including 1.45 oz standard bars, 4.25 oz XL bars, and 7.56 oz Giant bars. The product features a mildly sweet dark chocolate formulation with cocoa processed with alkali. Contains milk and soy allergens.

Sourcing

Standard mass-market chocolate sourcing. Ingredients include sugar, chocolate, cocoa butter, milk fat, and cocoa processed with alkali. No explicit cocoa origin traceability, direct-sourced ingredients, or sustainability certifications disclosed beyond kosher certification in reviewed sources.

Transparency Notes

Country of origin not disclosed on public product pages. No organic, non-GMO, or Fair Trade certifications found. Standard ingredient disclosure with allergen information (milk, soy) provided. Kosher certification (OU-D) verified across multiple sources.

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