A Message from our CEO, Michele Buck

The Hershey Company has a long-standing value of togetherness. You can see it in our actions every day— how we care for each other at work; our partnership with retailers; the collaboration with our suppliers and vendors; and most importantly the pride and care we pour into making moments of goodness in people’s lives with our beloved brands.  During this unprecedented time of the global coronavirus pandemic, our value of togetherness is more important than ever— in the care and support for our employees, their families, partners and our communities, when physical connection is limited.

I want to take a moment to share how we are approaching the evolving situation, knowing the environment we are operating in is dynamic and fast-changing.

First, health and safety remain paramount in our decision-making and actions. Food safety has always been at the center of our day-to-day operations and that will continue. As the pandemic spreads, we are monitoring the changing environment daily and we continue to adapt as the situation evolves. That includes putting in place more stringent operating procedures and safety protocols to help ensure the wellbeing of our employees, their families and everyone with whom we interact. To that end, we have been pacing our Hershey operations with the demand from our consumers and customers to help maintain food security and supply.

Food companies play a critically important role in this crisis to help alleviate need and concern in communities. Local, state and national governments have highlighted the importance of our food supply and asked that food retailers and manufacturers remain open during this time. We recognize that Hershey is not only a food manufacturer, but also an important link in the broader food supply chain, particularly with farmers and other food raw material suppliers that rely on us. 

We will continue to reassess the situation because new information becomes available every day:

• We are learning more about ways this virus is spreading and how we might be able to slow that progression.
• We are talking with local, state and national governments to understand what actions are being recommended in our local markets.
• And we continue to partner closely with our retail partners, suppliers, and vendors to play our part in the food supply chain.

The Hershey Company has more than 125 years of experience managing through tough, fast-moving and unprecedented moments in time – two World Wars, economic depressions and recessions, and other momentous events. Each time, we planned. We took action. We learned and adapted. And we kept our focus on making the best decisions for our employees, our partners, our communities, and the consumers that we serve.

This moment in time is no different. It calls us all to be our best— working together, with compassion and understanding, to do what’s best for our global society. We appreciate your partnership and patience and believe our shared resilience will only make us stronger in the days and years ahead.

Sincerely,

Michele Buck

President and CEO, The Hershey Company