Why is Hershey getting hammered?

Is it a McDonald's situation?

There's a Good Reason Europeans Think American Chocolate Tastes Like Vomit

Hershey’s chocolate bars have a different reputation overseas than they do in America. Writing for The Guardian, Arwa Mahdawi compared the taste of American chocolate to, “sawdust that’s been drowned in sugar and soaked with baby vomit.” But bias alone doesn’t account for this perception; certain ingredients in Hershey’s milk chocolate contribute to its controversial flavor.

The sour notes in America’s most popular chocolate are commonly attributed to butyric acid—a compound found in spoiled butter and, yes, vomit. Hershey denies adding it to their product, and the ingredient isn’t listed on the label, but that doesn’t mean it’s not part of the recipe.

Butyric acid is also present in milk, so all chocolate made with dairy contains it in some amounts. It may be more perceptable in American chocolate due to how the milk is treated. A process known as lipolysis breaks down the fatty acids in fresh milk. This makes it shelf-stable while also producing more butyric acid—and with it a tangy, acrid aftertaste. Hershey has been accused of treating its milk through controlled lipolysis, but because its formula is proprietary, this is hard to confirm. (If lipolysis is part of the process, the “factory tour” ride outside Hershey Park doesn’t cover it.)

https://www.mentalfloss.com/posts/why-american-chocolate-tastes-like-vomit