Jan. 24 (Bloomberg) -- Hershey Co., the largest U.S. candy maker, will stop making Ice Breakers Pacs mints after law enforcement officials said the candy may be mistaken for heroin or cocaine.

``Some community and law enforcement leaders have expressed concern about the shape of the pouch-and-xylitol form and the possibility that it could be mistaken for illicit items,'' Hershey Chief Executive Officer David West said on a conference call with analysts and investors today. ``We are sensitive to these viewpoints and thus have made the decision that we will no longer manufacture Ice Breakers Pacs.''

Ice Breakers Pacs are breath strips in a pouch filled with xylitol powder. The Hershey, Pennsylvania-based company introduced it in limited quantities late in the fourth quarter. The mints' resemblance to illegal drugs prompted Philadelphia's city council to adopt a resolution in December urging the company to ``repackage the product in a more responsible manner.''

The candy resembles illegal drugs enough that someone might mistakenly be arrested for possessing it, said Chief Inspector William Blackburn, who leads the Philadelphia Police Department's narcotics division.

``It looks more like the packaging material of heroin, but cocaine too,'' Blackburn said. No one has been arrested yet for possessing the mints, he said.

Hershey fell 71 cents, or 2 percent, to $35.68 at 4:05 p.m. in New York Stock Exchange composite trading. The shares dropped 7.6 percent this year through yesterday.

The company said today that fourth-quarter profit plunged 65 percent and forecast an unexpected drop in 2008 earnings, sending the shares lower.

To contact the reporter on this story: Josh Fineman in New York at jfineman@bloomberg.net; Tim Catts in New York at tcatts@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: January 24, 2008 16:38 EST