Costco: HUGE 5-Pound Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Bar Possibly ONLY $9.97
Looking to get your chocolate fix? 😀 If you have a Costco membership, you may want to head on over to your local store where you may be able to snag a HUGE 5-pound Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Bar for just $9.97! That makes each pound only $1.99 – which seems like a crazy good price, considering the regular size bars you buy at the store are only 1.55 ounces! Come back and let us know if you’re able to score the same deal!
Hershey’s are magical. they turn 5 pounds into 20 pounds
Bahahaha! You just made my day!
I know that’s right!!
And then after that, head on over to TARGET, where they have Crest tooth paste buy 2 get one free! Cuz you’re gonna need it!
Haha!!!!
I was at the Costco in Pleasant Prairie, WI on Saturday. Depending on how your Costco is set up; the aisle with all the candy had a lot of chocolates clearanced (ending with .97). There was a huge 4lb Toblerone bar for $4.97. 😀
Such a cool find! 🙂
The 97 cent items mean discounted cause discontinued item no longer sold in store will not be sold there anymore. Nonrefundable too. I got pb powder 1 lb 3.97😌😜
Are they trying to kill us???
Anyone else notice that Hershey’s has started using PGPR to replace some of the more costly ingredients like cocoa butter in their chocolates? I first noticed it in my kids halloween candy. I used to like Hershey’s, but get bothered when companies try to cheap out by using chemicals to replace other ingredients. It might not bother some people, but I wanted to point it out since they seemed to slowly slide it in there.
Thanks, Eileen!
What is pgpr?
I just looked it up and it seems like it’s used in the chocolate making process to make it more smooth when melting, not to replace actual ingredients, but that’s just a Wikipedia answer. Personally, I grew up living an hour from Hershey and still do, so those characters/park are my Disney world so I’ll always pick Hershey over the others. (Love me some dove and Lindt though) and although I could never eat that much chocolate, that 5lb bar is a great deal!
Really? How do you notice there is no real coca?
That’s weird bc the Hershey’s chocolate products I just looked at (chocolate bar and kisses) have PGPR as the last ingredient and cocoa butter as on of the top ingredients. The statement above does not seem to be true.
I have a Hershey Milk Chocolate bar in my desk drawer & I’m looking at the ingredients right now. Here is what is listed: Milk Chocolate (Sugar; Milk; Chocolate; Cocoa Butter; Lactose; Milk Fat; Soy Lecithin; PGPR, Emulsifier; Vanillin, Artificial Flavor). And if I remember correctly it is listed in order by the percentage of that ingredient which is used in the recipe, so they are definitely not replacing Cocoa Butter or anything else for that matter.
Chemicals? Water is a chemical…
Here is what Hershey’s and Wikipedia state about the chemical in question: PGPR
What is PGPR?
Polyglycerol polyricinoleate, more commonly known as PGPR, is an emulsifier derived from castor bean oil and often used to improve processing characteristics of chocolate. PGPR was first used in chocolate in England in 1952; since then, it has been used in various food applications such as cooking oils and fats, stick margarine, spreads, low fat dressings, ice cream and flour.
What is an emulsifier? What other emulsifiers are used by Hershey?
An emulsifier is an ingredient that is typically used in food production as a way to keep fat and water from separating in the product. When cooking at home, egg yolks are often used as an emulsifier. Emulsifiers also are used in the confectionery industry to improve the flow characteristics of chocolate so that it can be pumped more freely in a manufacturing plant. They also facilitate the molding of chocolates into various shapes. Another emulsifier used by Hershey is soy lecithin, which is commonly obtained from soybeans.
Is PGPR safe?
Yes, PGPR is a commonly-used and a safe ingredient. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (U.S. FDA) and other international regulatory authorities have reviewed PGPR and indicate that it is safe and suitable for use in food production.1
Hershey has always placed the safety and quality of our products as our highest priority. In addition to our own stringent quality standards, all ingredients used in our products meet or exceed U.S. government standards, including those established by U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and U.S. FDA.
How much PGPR is in our products?
We do not reveal our product formulas; however, the amount of PGPR used is quite small (as is the amount of soy lecithin).
Sources:
1GRAS Notification for Polyglycerol Polyricinoleate (pgpr) in Vegetable Fat Coatings (2008, November 13). In U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Retrieved February 19, 2014, from https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/fcn/gras_notices/grn000266.pdf.
AND PER WIKIPEDIA
Polyglycerol polyricinoleate (PGPR), E476, is an emulsifier made in a three-step process[2] from glycerol and fatty acids (usually castor bean derived). PGPR reduces the viscosity of chocolate and similar coatings and compounds. It works by decreasing the friction between the particles of cacao, sugar, milk, etc. present so they can flow more easily when melted. It can be used at low levels (below 1%); however, ingredients lists in chocolate are typically listed before the 2% and under section. This indicates it could be above 1% of the total product. It is made up of a short chain of glycerol molecules connected by ether bonds, with ricinoleic acid side chains connected by ester bonds.
PGPR is a yellowish, viscous liquid composed of polyglycerol esters of polycondensed fatty acids from castor oil. It may also be polyglycerol esters of dimerized fatty acids of soybean oil.
PGPR is strongly lipophilic, soluble in fats and oils, and insoluble in water and ethyl alcohol. In chocolates, it is used as a viscosity-reducing agent.[3] It is virtually always paired with lecithin or another plastic viscosity-reducing agent.
It can also be used as an emulsifier in spreads and in salad dressings or as a crystal inhibitor and anticlouding agent in fractionated vegetable oils.
In a 1998 review funded by Unilever of safety evaluations from the late 1950s and early 1960s, “PGPR was found to be 98% digested by rats and utilized as a source of energy superior to starch and nearly equivalent to groundnut oil.”[4] Additionally, no evidence was found of interference with normal fat metabolism, nor with growth, reproduction, and maintenance of tissue. Overall, it did not “constitute a human health hazard.”[5]
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has officially deemed PGPR safe for human consumption, setting the accepted daily intake from 0 to 7.5 milligrams per kilogram of body weight. Short-term studies on rats and chickens showed reversible liver enlargement as a result of higher doses of PGPR, but those were deemed a result of increased hepatic workload.[6]
So I guess “moderation” is the answer???
How do I order a 5lb Hershey chocolate bar online (but not via Amazon which has blocked me) and which would be sent to me at home. I would pay with a credit card. I could also send a check. I would be glad to pay more than the $9+ price here. I only want one. Thank you.