Milk Duds are a brand of candies made with chocolate, created in 1928[3] by Hoffman and Company of Chicago and now produced and marketed by The Hershey Company, under license from owners of the brand, Highlander Partners, a Dallas-based global private equity firm.

Milk Duds
Chocolate covered Milk Duds
Product typeCandy
OwnerHighlander Partners / Iconic IP Interests[1]
Produced byThe Hershey Company
CountryUnited States
Introduced1928; 96 years ago (1928)[2]
MarketsWorldwide
Previous owners
Ambassador(s)M.J. Holloway & Co.
TaglineChocolatey, Caramely, and Rich with Milk
Chewy. Not Gooey.
Websitehersheyland.com/milk-duds

The candy, marketed in a yellow-orange theater-style box, is an irregularly shaped caramel disk with a confectionery chocolate coating of cocoa and vegetable oil.

At its original naming, according to Hershey, "milk" referred to the product's initial milk ingredient, and "dud" referred to failed attempts to create a spherical shape.

Milk Duds
Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy1,823 kJ (436 kcal)
71.8 g
Sugars51.3 g
Dietary fibre0 g
15.4 g
Saturated9 g
Trans0 g
2.6 g
Vitamins and minerals
VitaminsQuantity
%DV
Vitamin A equiv.
0%
0 μg
Vitamin C
0%
0 mg
MineralsQuantity
%DV
Calcium
8%
102.6 mg
Iron
0%
0 mg
Sodium
11%
256.4 mg

Amounts converted and rounded to be relative to 100 g serving. Hershey's listed serving size is 39 g or 13 pieces (above amounts are ~2.5641 servings or ~33 pieces).
Percentages estimated using US recommendations for adults,[4] except for potassium, which is estimated based on expert recommendation from the National Academies.[5]
Source: MILK DUDS candy - Hershey's

History

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In 1928, Hoffman and Company of Chicago tried to manufacture a spherical, chocolate-covered caramel candy. Because they were unsuccessful in achieving the spherical shape, the candies were called "duds". This inspired the candy's name, "Milk Duds". In the same year, Holloway took over Hoffman and Company and the production of Milk Duds.[6]

In 1960 Holloway sold Hoffman and Co. to Beatrice Foods.[3]

In 1986, Leaf purchased the Milk Duds business. In 1992, production of Milk Duds candy was moved to Leaf Candy Company's Robinson, Illinois plant.[3]

In 1996, Leaf's North American confectionery operation was acquired by Hershey Foods Corporation of Hershey, Pennsylvania.[3]

In 2018, Huhtamäki Oyj, a Finland-based food and beverage packaging company, sold ownership of Milk Duds to Highlander Partners, who licenses the candy to Hershey.[1]

In 2022, Milk Duds launched a web-based marketing campaign where the official website became a small overlay to view different social media sites in the main area.[7]

Ingredients

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In 2008, the Hershey Company eliminated the recipe's relatively expensive cocoa butter, substituting cheaper oils in order to retain its then current price.[8]

Hershey's changed the description of the product and altered the packaging slightly, along with the ingredients. According to United States Food and Drug Administration food labeling laws, these modified recipes that do not contain cocoa butter can not be legally described as candy-coated in milk chocolate and are instead described as "chocolate candy," as having "chocolate coating" or as "candy made with chocolate and caramel."[9]

2024 ingredients

Corn Syrup
Sugar
Vegetable Oil (one or more of the following)
Palm Oil
Shea Oil
Sunflower Oil
Palm Kernel Oil
Safflower Oil
Dextrose
Nonfat Milk
Reduced Protein Whey
Chocolate
Contains 2% or Less of:
Brown sugar
Mono and Diglycerides
Whey
Baking Soda
Confectioner’s Glaze
Salt
Tapioca Dextrin
Lecithin
Vanillin (artificial flavoring)

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Highlander Buys Big Candy Portfolio". Private Equity Professional. April 30, 2018. Retrieved January 11, 2021. The acquisition ... was made by Highlander through Iconic IP Interests
  2. ^ "MILK DUDS Candy". Hershey's. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
  3. ^ a b c d e "HERSHEY'S | Milk Duds Candy". Hershey's. 2010-11-14. Archived from the original on 2010-11-14. Retrieved 2020-04-30.
  4. ^ United States Food and Drug Administration (2024). "Daily Value on the Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels". FDA. Archived from the original on 2024-03-27. Retrieved 2024-03-28.
  5. ^ National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; Health and Medicine Division; Food and Nutrition Board; Committee to Review the Dietary Reference Intakes for Sodium and Potassium (2019). Oria, Maria; Harrison, Meghan; Stallings, Virginia A. (eds.). Dietary Reference Intakes for Sodium and Potassium. The National Academies Collection: Reports funded by National Institutes of Health. Washington, DC: National Academies Press (US). ISBN 978-0-309-48834-1. PMID 30844154. Archived from the original on 2024-05-09. Retrieved 2024-06-21.
  6. ^ "MILK DUDS Chewy Caramels | Chocolate and Caramel Candy". Hershey's. Retrieved 2020-04-30.
  7. ^ "Official MILK DUDS Twitter".
  8. ^ Levy, Marc (11 October 2008). "Aggressive Mars breathes down Hershey's neck in US". USA Today.
  9. ^ Coffey, Laura T. (September 19, 2008). "Chocoholics sour on new Hershey's formula". Today.
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