ENS

Level-graded English lessons with reading, listening, activities, and discussion.

Lesson Info

Type
Article
Level
2 / A2
Published
Title
Hershey's Real Chocolate Plan
Webpage
https://eslnewsstories.com/articles/2026-04-22-hersheys-real-chocolate-plan/

Lesson Content

Warm-up, Vocab List, Reading and Audio

Understanding: Main Idea, True or False, Multiple Choice

Language: Vocab Match

Use It: Discussion Builder, Sentence Unscramble, Discussion Questions

Answers

(1) Do you like chocolate? Why or why not?

(2) How do you feel when a food product changes?

Illustrated landscape image of two Reese’s peanut butter cups on a bright orange background, with one cup bitten open to show the peanut butter filling and small chocolate crumbs below.
Reese's Peanut Butter Cups

Vocab List

product (n.) — Something a company makes to sell.
coating (n.) — A thin layer on the outside of something.
artificial (adj.) — made by people, not natural
classic (adj.) — Old and well known in its original form.
remove (v.) — To take something away.
attention (n.) — notice or interest from people
speak out (v. phrase) — To say what you think in public.
push (v.) — To try to make something happen.
Reading

Hershey says it is going to use real chocolate again in some products. This came after Brad Reese spoke out in public. He is the grandson of the man who first made Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.

The company says some Reese's and Hershey's products are changing. They are going back to real milk and dark chocolate by 2027. A company leader says this plan started before Brad Reese spoke out. The company also says it is going to remove artificial colors. Less than 3% of Reese's products are part of this change. Hershey says the classic Peanut Butter Cups did not change.

Brad Reese spoke out in February. After eating Reese's Mini Hearts, he got angry. He said some products, like holiday shapes, used a chocolate coating, not real milk chocolate. His letter online got a lot of attention. He says fans helped push the company to act.

But Brad Reese is still not sure. He says he will check again next year. He wants to taste the holiday candy himself. If it still does not taste like real milk chocolate, he says the company is lying.

Hershey's Real Chocolate Plan

Level 2 Article Source: nbcnews.com
Warm-up → or → Check Understanding → Language → Use It

Illustrated landscape image of two Reese’s peanut butter cups on a bright orange background, with one cup bitten open to show the peanut butter filling and small chocolate crumbs below.
Reese's Peanut Butter Cups

Hershey says it is going to use real chocolate again in some products. This came after Brad Reese spoke out in public. He is the grandson of the man who first made Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.

The company says some Reese's and Hershey's products are changing. They are going back to real milk and dark chocolate by 2027. A company leader says this plan started before Brad Reese spoke out. The company also says it is going to remove artificial colors. Less than 3% of Reese's products are part of this change. Hershey says the classic Peanut Butter Cups did not change.

Brad Reese spoke out in February. After eating Reese's Mini Hearts, he got angry. He said some products, like holiday shapes, used a chocolate coating, not real milk chocolate. His letter online got a lot of attention. He says fans helped push the company to act.

But Brad Reese is still not sure. He says he will check again next year. He wants to taste the holiday candy himself. If it still does not taste like real milk chocolate, he says the company is lying.

Speaker: American Male  Duration: 1:31  YouTube

Listen Closely

Listen and Fill Gaps

Listen to the audio on eslnewsstories.com and complete the gaps below:

Hershey says it is going to use (1) chocolate again in some products. This came after Brad Reese spoke out in public. He is the grandson of the man who first made Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.

The company says some Reese's and Hershey's products are changing. They are going back to real (2) and dark chocolate by 2027. A company leader says this plan started before Brad Reese spoke out. The company also says it is going to remove artificial (3) . Less than 3% of Reese's products are part of this change. Hershey says the classic Peanut Butter Cups did not change.

Brad Reese spoke out in (4) . After eating Reese's Mini Hearts, he got angry. He said some products, like holiday shapes, used a chocolate coating, not real milk chocolate. His letter online got a lot of attention. He says fans helped push the company to act.

But Brad Reese is still not sure. He says he will check again next year. He wants to (5) the holiday candy himself. If it still does not taste like real milk chocolate, he says the company is lying.

Listen and Fill Gaps

Loading listening activity...

Discussion Builder

  1. Q: Why do you think Brad Reese spoke out in public?

    A:

  2. Q: Should companies remove artificial colors from food?

    A:

  3. Q: Do you trust big food companies? Why or why not?

    A:
Use It

Discussion Builder

Choose the best phrase for each gap:

  1. Q: Why do you think Brad Reese spoke out in public?

    A: Brad Reese spoke out he wanted the company to change.

    so / because / but

    Brad Reese spoke out because he wanted the company to change.

  2. Q: Should companies remove artificial colors from food?

    A: I like sweet snacks, I still want companies to remove artificial colors.

    and / so / but

    I like sweet snacks, but I still want companies to remove artificial colors.

  3. Q: Do you trust big food companies? Why or why not?

    A: I do not fully trust big food companies they may put profit before health.

    because / unless / although / if

    I do not fully trust big food companies because they may put profit before health.

Sentence Unscramble

Sentence Unscramble

  1. A. fans can help B. to fans C. because D. them improve. E. companies should listen F. I think

    I think companies should listen to fans because fans can help them improve.

  2. A. For example, B. before I buy C. a new D. I read E. product. F. online comments

    For example, I read online comments before I buy a new product.

Discussion Questions
  1. Why do you think Brad Reese spoke out in public?
  2. Do companies need to listen to fans? Why or why not?
  3. Is real chocolate important to you? Why or why not?
  4. Why do you think some holiday candy used a coating?
  5. Should companies remove artificial colors from food?
  6. Do you read online comments or letters about products?
  7. What snacks are popular in your country?
  8. Do you trust big food companies? Why or why not?

Discussion Questions

  1. Why do you think Brad Reese spoke out in public?
  2. Do companies need to listen to fans? Why or why not?
  3. Is real chocolate important to you? Why or why not?
  4. Why do you think some holiday candy used a coating?
  5. Should companies remove artificial colors from food?
  6. Do you read online comments or letters about products?
  7. What snacks are popular in your country?
  8. Do you trust big food companies? Why or why not?

Answers Hershey's Real Chocolate Plan / Level 2

Listening: (1) real, (2) milk, (3) colors, (4) February, (5) taste

Main Idea: Hershey says some products will use real chocolate again after Brad Reese spoke out.

True or False:

  1. True. The story says some Reese's and Hershey's products are going back to real milk and dark chocolate by 2027.
  2. False. The story says he spoke out after eating Reese's Mini Hearts, not the classic Peanut Butter Cups.
  3. True. The story says he will check again next year and wants to taste the holiday candy himself.

Multiple Choice: b, a, c

Vocabulary:

  1. Product (n): Something a company makes to sell.
  2. Remove (v): To take something away.
  3. Speak out (v. phrase): To say what you think in public.
  1. Coating (n): A thin layer on the outside of something.
  2. Attention (n): Notice or interest from people.

Discussion Builder:

Hints: 1) Reason. 2) Contrast. 3) Reason.

  1. because
  2. but
  3. because

Sentence Unscramble:

  1. I think companies should listen to fans because fans can help them improve.
  2. For example, I read online comments before I buy a new product.

eslnewsstories.com