Item 9. CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE None. Item 9A. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures Design and Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting The Company’s management, with the participation of the Company’s Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, has evaluated the effectiveness of the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures, as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”), as of December 31, 2020. Based on that evaluation, the Company’s Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures were effective as of December 31, 2020. Disclosure controls and procedures are controls and other procedures that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in the Company’s reports filed or submitted under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the Securities and Exchange Commission’s rules and forms. Disclosure controls and procedures include, without limitation, controls and procedures designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in the Company’s reports filed under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to management, including the Company’s Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure. Management's report on the Company's internal control over financial reporting appears on the following page. There were no changes in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting during the fourth quarter of 2020 that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. We rely extensively on information systems and technology to manage our business and summarize operating results. We are in the process of a multi-year implementation of a new global enterprise resource planning (“ERP”) system, which will replace our existing operating and financial systems. The ERP system is designed to accurately maintain the Company’s financial records, enhance operational functionality and provide timely information to the Company’s management team related to the operation of the business. The implementation is expected to occur in phases over the next several years. We have completed the implementation of certain processes, including our consolidated financial reporting platform in the second quarter of 2018, as well as our trade promotions and direct marketing systems in the first quarter of 2019. These transitions did not result in significant changes in our internal control over financial reporting. However, as the next phases of the updated processes are rolled out in connection with the ERP implementation, we will give appropriate consideration to whether these process changes necessitate changes in the design of and testing for effectiveness of internal controls over financial reporting. Table of Contents The Hershey Company | 2020 Form 10-K | Page 99