Food
Top 10 Discontinued Food Items We Miss (Part 12)
Who hasn’t lived to see one of their favorite foods discontinued? It seems to be something that everyone can relate to in some way. The only silver lining to this upsetting event is that it leads to bonding between fans of the discontinued food items. From Reddit threads to Facebook pages, people have come together to reminisce about their favorite food items that were discontinued before their time. In the spirit of bringing people together, we’ve compiled yet another list of ten discontinued food items that we miss. Let’s get to reliving our favorite food-related memories!
10. Miss Vickie’s Honey and Roasted Garlic Chips
It’s been said that Miss Vickie’s can do no wrong. And when it comes to their crunchy, flavorful chips, the saying seems to hold true. However, there is one thing that Miss Vickie’s did very, very wrong. And that was making the decision to discontinue one of their most interesting and delicious potato chip flavors. For less than five years in the early 2000s, Miss Vickie’s produced a chip flavor that has been described as something that “can’t be good for eating before a date.” Bad for dates, but great for warding off vampires, Miss Vickie’s Honey and Roasted Garlic Chips were criminally underrated. In a poll ranking twenty-one Miss Vickie’s flavors, it clocked in at a respectable twelve, but it probably would have done much better if it hadn’t been discontinued so early on. More people deserve the chance to try this unique flavor. If it’s the roasted garlic you miss, Miss Vickie’s currently has a Parmesan and Roasted Garlic flavor available. If it’s the sweet honey flavor you’re after, consider trying their Honey Dijon chips. Neither is overwhelming similar to Honey and Roasted Garlic, but they come close enough that they make us feel a little bit better about this great flavor being discontinued. Yes, it’s small consolation, but we’ll take it for now.
9. Ben and Jerry’s Cannoli Ice Cream
This limited-edition Ben and Jerry’s ice cream flavor, simply called “Cannoli”, is not to be confused with its predecessor, a far less popular flavor dubbed “Holy Cannoli”. Both flavors were inspired by the absolutely divine Italian pastry, but they paid homage to it in very different ways. Holy Cannoli was a ricotta and pistachio ice cream and, while many thought it tasted pretty great, it just didn’t sell well enough for it to make sense for Ben and Jerry’s to keep producing it. Their Cannoli flavor was their second attempt at translating this delicious dessert into a frozen form. Instead of ricotta, Cannoli ice cream utilized another kind of cheese called mascarpone which can commonly be found in desserts, such as tiramisu. Mixed into the ice cream were pieces of fudge-covered cannoli pastry, alongside mascarpone swirls. This ice cream was super sweet and didn’t end up tasting all that much like cannoli, but that being said, it was still pretty great. Unfortunately, it was never meant to become a permanent addition to the Ben and Jerry’s catalogue and was retired after just a few months. Now the question remains, will Ben and Jerry’s ever come out with a third cannoli-inspired flavor? Leaving it at two feels incomplete. However, considering that we had to wait almost fifteen years between Holy Cannoli and Cannoli, it may be quite some time before we get an answer.
8. Nesquik Cereal
Mixes and syrups to add a chocolate, strawberry, or banana flavor to your milk will always be what Nesquik is known for. They’ve had some success dabbling in other realms, but they’ll probably always be known as the brand that produces the best DIY chocolate milk. But they did come out with one other food item that was top notch and, in our minds, wrongfully discontinued. That, of course, is Nesquik Cereal. This wouldn’t be a list of discontinued food items if it didn’t include at least one cereal; all the best ones seem to be getting discontinued left, right, and center. The end of the nineties saw the start of an epic collaboration between General Mills and Nestle, from which Nesquik Cereal was born. With its chocolate, spherical pieces, it’s ridiculous how similar to Cocoa Puffs this cereal was. Naturally, they quickly became competitors. The mascot for Nesquik Cereal was none other than the Nesquik Bunny, an anthropomorphic rabbit who, while he has undergone several variations in appearance, has been the Nestle mascot since the early seventies. Despite the fact that this cereal was so great, and the brand so recognizable, its production was axed in the early 2010s. For whatever reason, this was specific to the United States, and the cereal can still be found in many other countries. While the reasons behind Nesquik Cereal’s discontinuation were never given, it’s quite possible that it just couldn’t compete with a cereal as established as Cocoa Puffs.
7. Pepsi Twist
Pepsi Twist is a lemon-flavored variation of the original Pepsi soft drink, which an interesting origin story. Back in the seventies, Pepsi came out with a diet version of their soda called Pepsi Light. Unlike regular Pepsi, this soft drink had a distinct lemon flavor. This wasn’t always the plan – in fact, it was due to necessity more than anything else. Apparently, saccharin, the artificial sweetener used to replace sugar and cut the soda’s calorie content, had a rather unpleasant aftertaste. The lemon flavor was incorporated as a way to mask that. As aspartame rose in popularity, saccharin was replaced, and Pepsi Light was replaced with the Diet Pepsi we all know and love. Pepsi Light may have become obsolete, but the idea of a lemon-flavored soda lived on. In the early 2000s, Pepsi released Pepsi Twist, a regular Pepsi with a hint of lemon flavor. Coca-Cola had a similar product, called Coca-Cola with Lemon. Pepsi Twist was only available for about five years in the United States, but it had runs of various lengths internationally. In fact, while it’s no longer available in the United States, and only returned for a brief stint in Canada in 2017, this soda can still be found in many places around the world. So, the next time you’re traveling, keep your eyes peeled for this beverage.
6. Pop Tarts Go-Tarts
Pop Tarts are a timeless breakfast food. With their sweet fillings and frosted pastry, they taste more like dessert than breakfast (many moms out there have probably made several arguments for that case). Kellogg’s decided to take advantage of the popularity surrounding this delicious food item and make a snack-sized version. Pop Tarts Go-Tarts were identical to Pop Tarts in taste, but where much narrower, shaped like a bar that could be easily eaten on the go. To make transport even more efficient, each Go-Tart was individually wrapped. That way, they could easily be packed in a lunch box or grabbed on the way out the door. Go-Tarts came in fewer flavors than their predecessors, with only strawberry, brown sugar cinnamon, chocolate chip, and chocolate fudge available. Unfortunately, this breakfast to go didn’t have nearly as much success as Kellogg’s had anticipated. People like to stick to what they know, so, while Go-Tarts had an added aspect of convenience, they had nothing on the popularity of Pop-Tarts. Go-Tarts were given about two years to strut their stuff and when they failed to wow audiences, they became just another food item lost to time.
5. Sprinklers Ice Cream Bars
These Popsicle brand ice cream bars were as aesthetically pleasing as any dessert has ever been. If Instagram had been around when these were being sold, they probably would have had a lot more success. It’s too bad that snapping artsy pictures of your food wasn’t cool back in the day, because Sprinklers Ice Cream would have been the perfect model. The concept behind this frozen dessert was relatively simple. A vanilla ice cream bar with a chocolate coating is nothing new, but Popsicle elevated their ice cream bar to new heights by covering it in small, round sprinkles in every color imaginable. The use of bright colors was probably a marketing move to attract kid’s attention, but it honestly made the product more appealing to just about everyone. Except for a petition for their return and a couple of old commercials on YouTube, there isn’t much information about Sprinklers Ice Cream Bars out there. It seems like they’re one of those discontinued food items that have faded from memory. Hopefully this will help trigger some good memories for those of you who loved these in your childhood but haven’t thought of them in years. It’s surprising that these haven’t been replicated, because, let’s be real here, who doesn’t love sprinkles?
4. Squeeze Pop
Hubba Bubba has come out with a lot of great stuff over the years. Their Squeeze Pop Liquid Lollipops were one of their… more adventurous products. The gooey, brightly colored, liquid sugar found inside these bottles shaped like tiny tubes of toothpaste is definitely not to everybody’s taste. Dentists, for example, probably aren’t a huge fan. But anyone with a super sweet tooth and a deep-seated love of candy adored these. Calling them liquid lollipops is the best way to describe this candy, as that’s basically what they were. It was as though a lollipop was left out in the sun for too long, and then was bottled after it had completely melted. Kids (or adults with major sugar cravings) could simply squeeze them into their mouth and enjoy this excessively sweet treat. Squeeze Pops came in three different flavors, cherry, blue raspberry, and watermelon. Looking back, many people have commented on the fact that their parents wouldn’t let them eat these as kids and now, as adults themselves, they’re finally able to understand why. So, yes, eating a Squeeze Pop was basically the equivalent of swallowing a mouthful of liquid sugar. There’s nothing impressive, or even really appetizing about it. But the nostalgia hits hard, and we can’t help but miss them.
3. Cheetos Twisted
Aside from the classic potato chip, Cheetos are the staple snack food of any movie night, game day, or lazy Sunday afternoon. Just like any other popular food item, many variations of Cheetos have come and gone over the years. There were Cheetos X’s and O’s, interesting flavors like Honey BBQ and Cheesy Pizza, and there were Cheetos Twisted. Cheetos Twisted were like any other Cheeto, except, instead of being straight or slightly curved, they came in a spiral shape. They were also slightly thicker than the average Cheeto. These actually survived a lot longer than many of the other items on this list, as they stuck it out for almost a decade. After they disappeared, Frito-Lay issued a statement responding to the questions and complaints from many Cheetos Twisted fans. The confirmed that this Cheetos variation had been officially discontinued, and acknowledged that it was, in fact, “a bummer”. That’s putting it lightly, but okay. The greatest thing about Cheetos Twisted, was that they came in all the best Cheetos flavors. So, you never had to sacrifice taste for cool shape. However, this also meant that, other than their funky shape, Cheetos Twisted really didn’t bring anything new to the table. It makes sense that, once the novelty wore off, people would revert to their old habits of buying their favorite Cheetos flavors in the regular shape.
2. Starburst Hard Candy
Starburst is one of the most popular candies out there, and with good reason. They’re really just so much better than pretty much any other candy out there. Surprisingly, despite its success, not many Starburst spinoffs have been released. Maybe that’s because one of the few that was kind of bombed. There were two variations of Starburst Hard Candy. The first, which came in a yellow package, held all the original Starburst fruit flavors: cherry, strawberry, orange and lemon. New in the hard candy was a green apple piece, as well as a white-colored mystery flavor. The second variation was packaged in green and contained tropical flavors, which included kiwi-strawberry, mango-melon, strawberry-banana, tropical punch, and watermelon. In terms of appearance, the closest thing these round hard candies can be compared to is Werther’s Original. The main differences being the color, as the Starburst candies were colored to represent their respective flavor, and the fact that all pieces of Starburst Hard Candy had a large “S” on them. One of the reasons this candy didn’t do well may be the fact that people are drawn to Starburst in part for its smooth, chewy texture. In this form, they weren’t really any different from any other hard candy. With nothing to set them apart, interest in them was lost entirely. We’re sad about it, to be sure, but at least the regular Starbursts aren’t going anywhere.
1. Ritz Bits Sandwiches S’mores
One of the great things about s’mores is how tied to experience they are. Sitting around a campfire with family and friends, toasting marshmallows and laughing about life, it’s really something quite special. Unfortunately, those days don’t necessarily come around as often as we’d like them to. And sometimes you’re just craving a s’more. You can’t exactly just build a campfire and get to toasting marshmallows whenever you please and, even though at home “skip the bonfire” s’more recipes can be found all over the Internet, most of them take a little too much effort. That’s why Ritz Bits S’mores were so great. Sure, they weren’t as good as the real thing, but they were definitely good at satisfying cravings. Ritz Bits Sandwiches S’mores looked just like Ritz Bits Sandwiches Cheese, but, instead of a regular Ritz cracker, they used graham cracker, and instead of a cheese filling, between the two graham crackers there was half marshmallow filling and half chocolate filling. This snack food has rave reviews, so the reasons behind its discontinuation remain a mystery. But it could probably be argued that, out of all the food items included on this list, this is the one that people miss the most. It’s possible that you could still find Ritz Bits Sandwiches S’mores somewhere online, maybe in a dark corner of eBay, but we can’t attest to their freshness. Hopefully the outcry is loud enough that Ritz takes pity on us and brings these cookies back. But until then, you better get to building that bonfire.