UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 4
STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP

[   ] Check this box if no longer subject to Section 16. Form 4 or Form 5
    obligations may continue.
1. Name and Address of Reporting Person(s)
   Tacka               David W.
   100 Crystal A Drive


   Hershey, Pennsylvania  l7033
2. Issuer Name and Ticker or Trading Symbol
   Hershey Foods Corporation (HSY)
3. I.R.S. Identification Number of Reporting Person, if an entity (Voluntary)

4. Statement for Month/Year
   03/01
5. If Amendment, Date of Original (Month/Year)
6. Relationship of Reporting Person(s) to Issuer (Check all applicable)
   [ ] Director                   [ ] 10% Owner
   [X] Officer (give title below) [ ] Other (specify below)
   Vice President, Corporate
   Controller & CAO
7. Individual or Joint/Group Filing (Check Applicable Line)
   [X] Form filed by One Reporting Person
   [ ] Form filed by More than One Reporting Person



Table I   Non-Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned
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1)Title of Security                           2)Trans-    3.Trans- 4.Securities Acquired(A)      5)Amount of    6)  7)Nature of
                                              action      action   or Disposed of (D)            Securities         Indirect
                                              Date        Code                   A               Beneficially   D   Beneficial
                                              (Month/                            or              Owned at       or  Ownership
                                              Day/Year)   Code V   Amount        D  Price        End of Month   I
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Common Stock (1)                              03/20/01    M        2,850.0000    A  $24.50000                   D  Direct
Common Stock                                  03/20/01    S        2,850.0000    D  $66.21610    0.0000         D  Direct
Common Stock                                                                                     3,026.0100     I  401(k) Plan


Table II (PART 1) Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially
Owned (Columns 1 through 6)
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1)Title of Derivative          2)Conversion    3)Trans-       4)Trans-  5)Number of Derivative            6)Date Exercisable and
Security                       or Exercise     action         action    Securities Acquired (A)           Expiration Date
                               Price of        Date           Code      or Disposed of (D)
                               Derivative
                               Security                       Code  V   A                D                Exercisable  Expiration
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Non-Qualified Stock Option     $24.50000       03/20/01       M                          2,850.0000       01/03/96     01/03/04
(right to buy) (1)


Table II (PART 2) Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially
Owned (Columns 1,3 and 7 through 11)
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1)Title of Derivative          3)Trans-  7)Title and Amount                           8)Price     9)Number of   10) 11)Nature of
Security                       action    of Underlying                                of Deri-    Derivative        Indirect
                               Date      Securities                                   vative      Securities    D   Beneficial
                                                                        Amount or     Security    Beneficially  or  Ownership
                                                                        Number of                 Owned at      I
                  -                      Title                          Shares                    End of Month
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                               
Non-Qualified Stock Option     03/20/01  Common Stock                   2,850.0000    $66.21610   0.0000        D   Direct
(right to buy) (1)


Explanation of Responses:

(1)
These options were granted under the Hershey Foods Corporation Key Employee
Incentive Plan, and they have a stock withholding feature which permits the
withholding of shares of stock at the time of exercise to satisfy the grantee's
income tax withholding rights.





Beneficial  holdings  reflected  in this  report do not  include  changes in the
reporting  person's holdings of securities  resulting from  participation in the
issuer's  Employee  Savings Stock Investment & Ownership Plan (ESSIOP) since the
last filing of a report disclosing transactions related to such participation.



SIGNATURE OF REPORTING PERSON
/S/ Tacka, David W.
DATE 04/09/2001