NEW YORK —Hershey is looking at replacing the high-fructose corn syrup in some of its products with sugar.

Will Papa, chief research and development officer at The Hershey Co., said the company uses a mix of sugar and high-fructose corn syrup in its products but that it is “moving more toward sugar.”

“We take into account what consumers want. And consumers are telling us between the two, they prefer sugar,” Papa said.

Moving toward sugar would make Hershey a high-profile example of the move away from high-fructose corn syrup in the food industry. Many people say they avoid it because it has gained a bad reputation for fueling weight gain and diabetes, though health experts says there’s not enough evidence to conclude it’s any worse than regular sugar.

In an emailed statement, Hershey said its work on “exploring” the replacement of high-fructose corn syrup “is just under way.”

A representative for Hershey, Jeff Beckman, cited Almond Joy, Fifth Avenue, Take 5 and York as examples of products that use corn syrup. He said classic Hershey bars are made with sugar.

“Our aim is to be transparent with our consumers about the ingredients we use in our products. Once we have more information to share, we will be back in touch,” the company’s statement said.

The American Medical Association has said there’s not enough evidence to specifically restrict the use of the syrup.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest also has said that there’s no evidence that the sweetener is any worse nutritionally than sugar.

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