Hershey's vs Cadbury Milk Chocolate: Is US Cadbury Made by Hershey?

In the US, Hershey makes Cadbury Dairy Milk under license. Both US bars list sugar first and PGPR; the US Cadbury bar adds lactose and artificial flavor. Here is how the labels compare.

Key takeaways

• Both US bars list sugar first; the UK Cadbury Dairy Milk lists milk first.
• Sugar by weight is about 58% in the Hershey's bar and about 57% in the US Cadbury bar. These percentages are calculated from the label values (25 g in 43 g, and 16 g in 28 g). The UK per-gram sugar figure is not disclosed in the information used for this article.
• Lactose is listed in the US Cadbury ingredient list and not in the Hershey's bar list.
• Hershey's sells the US Cadbury Dairy Milk bar under a license from Cadbury UK Limited. The FY2025 Form 10-K describes the licensing agreement, and it references a Cadbury trademark and technology license agreement dated August 25, 1988.
• PGPR appears on both US bars, but the amount is not disclosed on the labels. In June 2023, FDA said it had no questions about the GRAS conclusion for PGPR as an emulsifier at up to 0.5% in chocolate.

Factor	Hershey's Milk Chocolate bar (US)	US Cadbury Dairy Milk (US)	UK Cadbury Dairy Milk (UK)
First ingredient	Sugar	Sugar	Milk
Lactose	Not in cited ingredient list	Listed	Not in cited label
PGPR	Listed	Listed	E476 listed; not confirmed as PGPR
Flavors	Natural flavor	Natural and artificial flavor	Flavourings, no further detail
Total sugars per serving	25 g per 1 bar (43 g)	16 g per 5 blocks (28 g)	Not compared; per-gram figure not disclosed
Added sugars per serving	21 g (42% DV)	16 g (32% DV)	Not compared
Milk and soy allergen statements	Milk and soy	Milk and soy; almond shared-equipment statement	Not in cited listing

Why does US Cadbury Dairy Milk come from Hershey?

Hershey's sells the US Cadbury Dairy Milk bar under a license from Cadbury UK Limited, according to Hershey's FY2025 Form 10-K. That filing lists a licensing agreement covering the Cadbury and Caramello brands in the United States and references a Cadbury trademark and technology license agreement dated August 25, 1988.

A license explains why the name and product appear in US stores. It does not establish that the US and UK bars have the same formula. The ingredient lists below differ, so the package in hand is the best guide to what is inside.

Which ingredient comes first on Hershey's Milk Chocolate bar vs US Cadbury Dairy Milk?

Sugar is the first ingredient listed on both US bars. The Hershey's Milk Chocolate bar (1.55 oz, GTIN 00034000002405) lists milk chocolate made from sugar, milk, chocolate, cocoa butter, milk fat, lecithin (soy), PGPR, and natural flavor. The US Cadbury Dairy Milk bar (3.5 oz, GTIN 00034000040254) lists milk chocolate made from sugar, milk, cocoa butter, chocolate, lactose, lecithin (soy), PGPR, and natural and artificial flavor. Both US bars list soy lecithin, covered in Is Soy Lecithin Safe? Uses, Allergy Facts, and Label Names.

The UK Cadbury Dairy Milk (360 g, barcode 7622202040870, Mondelez) lists milk first, followed by sugar, cocoa butter, cocoa mass, vegetable fats (palm, shea), emulsifiers (E442, E476), and flavourings. The UK label states that vegetable fats are used in addition to cocoa butter. The Open Food Facts listing is one of the sources for this label.

What is PGPR in Hershey's Milk Chocolate bar and Cadbury Dairy Milk?

Both US bars list PGPR (polyglycerol polyricinoleic acid), an emulsifier made by esterifying polyglycerol with condensed castor oil fatty acids. In June 2023, FDA said it had no questions about Unilever's conclusion that PGPR is generally recognized as safe (GRAS) as an emulsifier at up to 0.5% in chocolate, as described in the FDA GRAS notice response letter. FDA also noted earlier PGPR GRAS notices (GRNs 000009, 000179, 000266, 000270, and 000466) that received no-questions letters between 1999 and 2013. For how emulsifiers such as lecithin and PGPR appear on labels, see Emulsifiers on Ingredient Lists Explained: Lecithin to Polysorbate 80.

The amount of PGPR in either US bar is not disclosed on the labels cited here, so the level in a specific bar cannot be stated. The UK label lists E476 among its emulsifiers, but the sources cited here do not confirm that E476 and PGPR are the same ingredient in that product, so this article does not assert it.

This section describes what the labels and the FDA letter say about PGPR. It does not rate either bar on safety.

Does US Cadbury Dairy Milk contain lactose, and does Hershey's Milk Chocolate bar?

The US Cadbury Dairy Milk bar lists lactose in its ingredients. The Hershey's Milk Chocolate bar ingredient list cited here does not include lactose. Both US bars list milk and soy as allergens on their pages.

Lactose is a milk sugar. People who manage lactose intake, or who have been advised by a clinician to track it, should read the full ingredient list on the package in hand. Lactose is one of the clearest differences between the two US bars. The UK Cadbury label cited here does not list lactose among its ingredients.

Which has more sugar per gram, Hershey's Milk Chocolate bar or US Cadbury Dairy Milk?

The Hershey's Milk Chocolate bar lists 25 g of total sugars and 21 g of added sugars per 1 bar (43 g), and its added sugars are 42% of the daily value. Dividing 25 g by 43 g gives about 58% sugar by weight, a calculation from the label values. The US Cadbury Dairy Milk bar lists 16 g of total sugars, all of it added sugars, per 5 blocks (28 g), or about 3.5 servings per bar. Dividing 16 g by 28 g gives about 57% sugar by weight, also a calculation from the label values, and its added sugars are 32% of the daily value.

The two per-gram figures are close, but the serving sizes differ, so per-serving totals are not directly comparable. The UK per-gram sugar figure is not disclosed in the information used for this article, so no per-gram comparison with the UK bar is made, and its per-serving totals are not compared here for the same reason.

What differences do the US and UK Cadbury ingredient labels show?

The cited sources do not establish a cause for taste differences between the US and UK Cadbury bars, and this article does not claim one. The labels do show that the ingredient lists differ. The UK label lists milk first and includes vegetable fats in addition to cocoa butter, plus the emulsifiers E442 and E476. The US Cadbury bar lists sugar first and includes lactose, PGPR, and both natural and artificial flavor.

These label differences are the most concrete evidence available. Whether they relate to how either bar tastes is not established by the sources cited here.

How does the UK Cadbury Dairy Milk label differ from the US versions?

The UK label cited here lists milk solids at a minimum of 20%, with an actual figure of 23%, and cocoa solids at a minimum of 20%. The US standard of identity for milk chocolate in 21 CFR 163.130 requires at least 10% chocolate liquor, at least 3.39% milkfat, and at least 12% total milk solids by weight.

Percentages for the US Hershey's bar and the US Cadbury bar are not disclosed on the labels cited here, so a direct percentage comparison with the UK label is not possible. The UK label also states that vegetable fats are used in addition to cocoa butter, and the US ingredient lists cited here do not include vegetable fats.

Is Hershey's Milk Chocolate bar gluten free, and what do the allergen statements say?

The Hershey's Milk Chocolate bar page shows a 'gluten free' mark. The US Cadbury Dairy Milk page does not show that mark, so its gluten status is not disclosed in the cited material. Readers who need gluten-free products should check the current packaging, since formulations and labels can change.

Both US bars contain milk and soy. The US Cadbury Dairy Milk page also states that the bar is manufactured on the same equipment that processes almonds. The Hershey's listing cited here does not include an equivalent almond statement, and its manufacturing equipment is not described in the cited material.

What do the US standard of identity and flavor declarations mean on these labels?

The US standard of identity defines what a product must contain to be labeled milk chocolate. Its minimums apply to any product labeled as milk chocolate, and the ingredient statements cited above describe both US bars as milk chocolate, so those minimums set the baseline for both labels.

Flavor declarations are less detailed. The Hershey's bar lists natural flavor. The US Cadbury bar lists natural and artificial flavor, and what the artificial flavor is has not been disclosed on the label cited here. The UK label lists flavourings without further detail in the cited listing.

How do you spot PGPR, lactose, and added sugar on a chocolate label?

Use the ingredient list and the Nutrition Facts panel together. Here is a practical checklist:

• Find the chocolate or milk chocolate descriptor in the ingredient list, then read the parenthetical sub-list for the component ingredients.
• Look for PGPR or polyglycerol polyricinoleic acid in that sub-list, as on both US bars.
• Check for lactose separately, since it can appear in the sub-list even when milk is already listed.
• Compare total sugars with added sugars on the Nutrition Facts panel, and note the serving size before comparing across bars.
• Check the allergen statement and any manufacturing statement, such as shared equipment with almonds.
• Check for gluten-free marks, and confirm them on the package rather than relying on a website alone.

The package in hand is the final reference, because the pages cited in this article are a point-in-time snapshot and listings can change. For another candy-aisle label comparison, see Twix vs Snickers: Which Is Healthier? Both 250 Calories.

Limitations of this label comparison

This comparison reflects the label facts on the product pages and listings cited here, not every package in every store. The evidence available here does not confirm current lactose, flavor, or sugar-per-gram figures beyond those labels, so the packaging you hold is the most reliable source.

The evidence also cannot establish how any individual person responds to these ingredients, and the cited sources do not study these specific bars in special populations. Research questions about emulsifiers and additives remain open, and regulators' conclusions may change.

Readers who want to check a specific bar can scan its package with the Aurascan app, which explains each ingredient one by one with cited evidence.