HERSHEY CO

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

SCHEDULE 14A

Proxy Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of the

Securities Exchange Act of 1934

(Amendment No. )

Filed by the Registrant ☒ Filed by a Party other than the Registrant ☐

Check the appropriate box:

The Hershey Company

(Name of Registrant as Specified In Its Charter)

(Name of Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement, if other than the Registrant)

Payment of Filing Fee (Check all boxes that apply):

Notice of 2026 Annual Meeting of Stockholders

Tuesday, May 5, 2026

10:00 a.m., Eastern Daylight Time

The 2026 Annual Meeting of Stockholders (the “Annual Meeting”) of The Hershey Company (“Hershey” or the “Company”) will be held on Tuesday, May 5, 2026, beginning at 10:00 a.m., Eastern Daylight Time. This year’s Annual Meeting will be a virtual meeting conducted solely via live webcast. You will be able to attend the Annual Meeting, vote your shares electronically and submit questions during the meeting by visitingwww.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/HSY2026. Additional information regarding attending the Annual Meeting, voting your shares and submitting questions can be found in the Proxy Statement accompanying this Notice of 2026 Annual Meeting of Stockholders.

The purposes of the Annual Meeting are as follows:

The Proxy Statement accompanying this Notice of 2026 Annual Meeting of Stockholders describes each of these items in detail. The Proxy Statement also contains other important information that you should read and consider before you vote.

The Board of Directors of the Company has established the close of business on March 6, 2026 as the record date for determining the stockholders who are entitled to notice of, and to vote at, the Annual Meeting and any adjournment or postponement thereof.

The Company is furnishing proxy materials to its stockholders via the internet as permitted under the rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission. Under these rules, unless otherwise requested, each of the Company’s stockholders will receive a Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials instead of receiving paper copies of this Notice of 2026 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, the Proxy Statement, your proxy card, and the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025 (collectively, the “proxy materials”). We believe this process gives us the opportunity to serve you more efficiently by making the proxy materials available quickly online and reducing costs associated with printing and postage. Stockholders who have requested to receive paper copies of the proxy materials will not receive a Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials and will instead receive a paper copy of the proxy materials by mail.

By order of the Board of Directors,

James Turoff

Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary

March 25, 2026

Your vote is important.

Instructions on how to vote your shares are contained in the Proxy Statement and in the Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials. Whether or not you plan to attend the Annual Meeting, we strongly encourage you to vote your shares prior to the meeting by submitting your proxy by telephone or over the internet as described in the proxy materials. Alternatively, if you have requested paper copies of the proxy materials, then please mark, sign, date and return the proxy/voting instruction card in the envelope provided in advance of the Annual Meeting.

If you are able to attend the Annual Meeting, then you may revoke your proxy and vote your shares at the meeting using the 16-digit control number shown on your Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials or on your proxy card. If you would like to attend and vote your shares at the Annual Meeting, but your shares are not registered in your name, then please ask the broker, trust, bank or other nominee in whose name the shares are held to provide you with your 16-digit control number.

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Website references throughout this Proxy Statement are provided for convenience only, and the information on our website and any other website referenced herein is not incorporated by reference into, and does not constitute a part of, this Proxy Statement.

This Proxy Statement contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Many of these forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "anticipate,” “assume,” “believe,” “continue,” “estimate,” “expect,” “forecast,” “future,” “intend,” “plan,” “potential,” “strategy,” “target” and similar terms, and future or conditional tense verbs like “could,” “may,” “might,” “should,” “will” and “would,” among others. These statements are made based upon current expectations that are subject to risk and uncertainty. Because actual results may differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements, you should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements when deciding whether to buy, sell or hold the Company’s securities. Factors that could cause results to differ materially include, but are not limited to: disruptions or inefficiencies in our supply chain due to the loss or disruption of essential manufacturing or supply elements or other factors; issues or concerns related to the quality and safety of our products, ingredients or packaging, human and workplace rights, and other environmental, social or governance matters; risks associated with climate change and other environmental impacts, and increased focus and evolving views of our stockholders and other stakeholders; changes in raw material and other costs, along with the availability of adequate supplies of raw materials; the Company’s ability to successfully execute business continuity plans to address changes in consumer preferences and the broader economic and operating environment; selling price increases, including volume declines associated with pricing elasticity; market demand for our new and existing products; increased marketplace competition; failure to successfully execute and integrate acquisitions, divestitures and joint ventures; changes in governmental laws and regulations, including taxes; political, economic, and/or financial market conditions, including with respect to inflation, changing interest rates, slower growth or recession, and other events beyond our control such as the impacts on our business arising from the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine and in Iran; risks and uncertainties related to our international operations; disruptions, failures or security breaches of our information technology infrastructure and that of our customers and partners (including our suppliers); our ability to hire, engage and retain a talented global workforce, our ability to realize expected cost savings and operating efficiencies associated with strategic initiatives or restructuring programs; complications with the design or implementation of our new enterprise resource planning system; and such other matters as discussed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025 (the “2025 Annual Report”) and from time to time in our other filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). The Company undertakes no duty to update any forward-looking statement to conform the statement to actual results or changes in the Company’s expectations.

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