Milk Duds
Encyclopedia
Milk Duds are a caramel
candy
, historically enrobed
with milk chocolate and currently enrobed with a confectionery coating made from cocoa
and vegetable oil. They are currently manufactured by The Hershey Company
. Milk Dud's are an excellent source of Calcium, containing as much Calcuim as an 8 0z. glass of milk in every 5 pieces.
with cheaper oil substitutes. This was done to retain a current product price, rather than having to raise prices in the marketplace for products containing cocoa butter.
Hershey's changed the description of the product and altered the packaging slightly along with the ingredients. Though the new formula contains chocolate, according to United States Food and Drug Administration
food labeling
laws, these modified recipes which do not contain cocoa butter can not be legally described as candy coated in milk chocolate.
Caramel
Caramel is a beige to dark-brown confection made by heating any of a variety of sugars. It is used as a flavoring in puddings and desserts, as a filling in bonbons, and as a topping for ice cream, custard and coffee....
candy
Candy
Candy, specifically sugar candy, is a confection made from a concentrated solution of sugar in water, to which flavorings and colorants are added...
, historically enrobed
Enrober
An enrober is a machine used in the confectionery industry to coat a food item with a coating medium, typically chocolate. Foods coated by enrobers include nuts, ice cream, toffee and other miscellaneous candy items, biscuits and cookies. Enrobing is essentially a mechanized form of hand-dipping...
with milk chocolate and currently enrobed with a confectionery coating made from cocoa
Cocoa solids
Cocoa solids are the low-fat component of chocolate. When sold as an end product, it may also be called cocoa powder, cocoa, and cacao....
and vegetable oil. They are currently manufactured by The Hershey Company
The Hershey Company
The Hershey Company, known until April 2005 as the Hershey Foods Corporation and commonly called Hershey's, is the largest chocolate manufacturer in North America. Its headquarters are in Hershey, Pennsylvania, which is also home to Hershey's Chocolate World. It was founded by Milton S...
. Milk Dud's are an excellent source of Calcium, containing as much Calcuim as an 8 0z. glass of milk in every 5 pieces.
History
According to the manufacturer, the word "Milk" in the name refers to the large amount of milk in the product; the use of "dud" came about because the original aim of having a perfectly round piece was found to be impossible.Timeline
- 1926: F. Hoffman and Company, Chicago, tries to manufacture a perfectly round, chocolate-covered caramel candy, but when its machines turn out confections that are less than round, an employee calls them "duds".
- 1928: Milton J. Holloway takes over the original manufacturer of Milk Duds chocolate covered caramels from F. Hoffman & Company of ChicagoChicagoChicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. - 1960: Holloway sells F. Hoffman & Company to Beatrice FoodsBeatrice FoodsBeatrice Foods Company was a major American food processing company. In 1987, its smaller international food operations were sold to Reginald Lewis, a corporate attorney creating TLC Beatrice International, after which the majority of its domestic brands and assets were acquired by Kohlberg,...
. - 1986: LeafLeaf Candy CompanyLeaf International BV is a market leader in candy, chewing gum and pastilles in Sweden, the Netherlands, Finland and Belgium and has a number two position in Norway, Denmark, Belgium and Italy. In total Leaf products are sold in more than 50 countries worldwide...
purchases the Milk Duds business. - 1992: Production of Milk Duds candy is moved to Leaf Candy Company's Robinson, Illinois, plant.
- 1996: Leaf's North American confectionery operation is acquired by Hershey Foods CorporationThe Hershey CompanyThe Hershey Company, known until April 2005 as the Hershey Foods Corporation and commonly called Hershey's, is the largest chocolate manufacturer in North America. Its headquarters are in Hershey, Pennsylvania, which is also home to Hershey's Chocolate World. It was founded by Milton S...
of Hershey, Pennsylvania.
Ingredient changes to reduce production costs
The Hershey Company, in 2008, changed the ingredients of some of its products, in order to replace the relatively expensive cocoa butterCocoa butter
Cocoa butter, also called theobroma oil, is a pale-yellow, pure edible vegetable fat extracted from the cocoa bean. It is used to make chocolate, biscuits, and baked goods, as well as some pharmaceuticals, ointments, and toiletries...
with cheaper oil substitutes. This was done to retain a current product price, rather than having to raise prices in the marketplace for products containing cocoa butter.
Hershey's changed the description of the product and altered the packaging slightly along with the ingredients. Though the new formula contains chocolate, according to United States Food and Drug Administration
Food and Drug Administration
The Food and Drug Administration is an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, one of the United States federal executive departments...
food labeling
Mandatory labelling
Mandatory labelling or labeling is the requirement of consumer products to state their ingredients or components....
laws, these modified recipes which do not contain cocoa butter can not be legally described as candy coated in milk chocolate.