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.
   Corporate Headquarters
   100 Crystal A Drive
   Hershey,       PA     17033
2. Issuer Name and Ticker or Trading Symbol
   Hershey Foods Corporation (HSY)
3. IRS or Social Security Number of Reporting Person (Voluntary)
   ###-##-####
4. Statement for Month/Year
   April 1998
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) Controller and Chief Accounting Officer
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 - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 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 - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Common Stock 2,639.8599 I 401(k) Plan Common Stock 03/09/98 M 2,000.0000 A $24.5000 D Common Stock 03/09/98 S 2,000.0000 D $70.2500 0.0000 D Table II (PART 1) Derivative Securitites Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned (Columns 1 through 6) - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 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 - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Non-Qualified Stock Option $24.5000 03/09/98 M 2,000.0000 01/03/96 01/03/04 (right to buy)(1) Table II (PART 2) Derivative Securitites Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned (Columns 1,3 and 7 through 11) - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 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 03/09/98 Common Stock 2,000.0000 5,700.0000 D (right to buy)(1) Explanation of Responses: (1) These options were granted under the Hershey Foods Corporation 1987 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 on this report do not include changes in the reporting person's holdings of securities resulting from participation in the issuer's qualified employee stock plan since the last filing of a report disclosing transactions related to such participation.
SIGNATURE OF REPORTING PERSON /S/ Tacka David W. DATE 04/16/98