HERSHEY CO. WAS RIGHT TO HALT SALES OF CANDY THAT RESEMBLES DRUG; IT
SHOULD ALSO REMOVE THEM

CEO David J. West is taking a prudent step in halting the Her shey
Co.'s production of a mint wrapped in packaging resembling that used
for powdered street drugs.

But the most effective way to address the concerns of law enforcement
officers and community activists would be an immediate recall.

Almost as soon as Hershey placed its new Ice Breakers Pacs on store
shelves late last year, critics noted the nickel-sized, dissolvable
blue and orange packages bore a distinct resemblance to packages
commonly used by dealers to sell illegal street drugs such as cocaine
and heroin. They expressed concerns that after seeing marketing for
the product or purchasing it from stores, a child could come across a
drug package and ingest it, thinking it was the mint.

Hershey officials didn't know of the similarity until the product was
introduced to the market and they heard the outcry. In response, West
announced late last week production would be stopped.

But those Ice Breakers Pacs still on store shelves nationally --
enough to last as long as the end of March -- will continue to be
sold until supplies are exhausted. That means the same concerns that
caused Hershey to stop production will exist for perhaps another two months.

We have to agree with Bill Katzel, a Tucson, Ariz., community
activist who teamed with Philadelphia narcotics officer Linda Wagner
on the public protest campaign. He told The Associated Press: "A
better solution would have been a total recall of this product."

Katzel spoke in the past tense, but a recall still can and should be done.

Hershey's public image has taken enough of a beating over the last
year with a restructuring plan that cut jobs locally and nationally,
and its stockholders are in a sour mood over declining earnings. The
last thing the company needs is a tragedy involving one of its
products. More important, a recall would be the right thing to do.