Bad News from Hershey Chocolate

If you remember nickel candy bars as big as two hands, you're as old as dirt like me. Well, I got some bad news for you. They are getting even smaller and more expensive.

Rumor has it (Wall Street Journal) that chocolate manufacturers are choosing between making their current product smaller or changing the ingredients, both so that they are less expensive to make. Hershey's is exchanging some vegetable oil for some cocoa butter in order to cut costs. Bummer. But, they say, all candy manufacturers will be doing the same thing, cutting the size, changing ingredients, or increasing the price because their costs have risen dramatically, some say 45%, in just one year.

I can handle higher gasoline prices, but vegetable oil for cocoa butter, now you're talking revolution.