12 Food Items That Were Sadly Discontinued In 2024 - The Daily Meal (2024)

Grocery

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ByCheryl Kochenderfer|July 6, 2024 10:25 am EST

Have you strolled down the grocery aisle or scanned a restaurant menu recently, and noticed your go-to item is missing? If you're lucky, the store just forgot to restock. If this is a repeat occurrence, though, your worst fears may be true. The item may indeed be discontinued.

All good things must come to an end, and sadly, this includes some beloved food products, both on store shelves and in restaurants. If you're wondering why, know that companies discontinue items for many reasons. Consumer trends change over time and dwindling demand may lead to a product's demise.Issues in supply chains can also increase production costs, lowering the profit margin or making it impossible to manufacture. In this case, food items might get the boot and be replaced by more economical options.

So how do you find out if popular food items have been discontinued? On rare occasions, a company makes a formal announcement. However, if the food was a fan favorite, this could create a public outcry with many follow-up complaints. For this reason, many corporations quietly discontinue items and hope it flies under the radar. But savvy customers can't be fooled and many turn to social media or news outlets to confirm their suspicions — which is exactly what we did. After scouring online sources, we've determined a some foods which have recently disappeared for good. So if you've been searching for a food product to no avail, keep reading. It just might be one of 2024's discontinued items.

Girl Scouts of Orange Country / Facebook

As any cookie fanatic knows, January to April marks Girl Scout cookie season. During this period, you'll find uniformed troop members setting up stands, marketing their decades-famous cookies to the masses. But this year, as you perused the selection and picked out a few boxes, you may have noticed one variety missing from the lineup: Raspberry Rallies.

Mind you, Raspberry Rallies were never actually sold on the street. What set this cult classic apart is that it was exclusively sold online, although those neighborhood Girl Scouts may have brought a box or two for you to sample. And if you did, you'd know Raspberry Rallies offered a fruity twist on the age-old Thin Mints, featuring a raspberry-flavored center encased in a rich chocolate coating. These cookies first hit the scene in 2023, and were only sold for one season before they vanished — but a lack of popularity wasn't to blame.

The Girl Scouts of the USA explained to CNN, "While Raspberry Rally was extremely popular last year, we are taking a pause this season to prioritize supplying our classic varieties." The news outlet also reported that Raspberry Rally flew off virtual shelves, only to be resold on eBay for astronomical prices. Perhaps this cookie controversy caused the Girl Scouts to reconsider their online-only tactic. Or maybe they're finding ways to prevent a repeat situation. Although we're praying for the return of this popular cookie, we wouldn't hold our breath.

The Southern Snack / YouTube

April 4, 2024, marked a new era at Panera as the company unveiled over20 new or improved menu items.In a Panera press release, the company announced these changes, cleverly focusing on what it's adding to the menu rather than removing. Although Panera tried to keep these positive vibes strong, customers noticed the disappearance of several beloved items, including the brand's flatbread pizza.

On Reddit, one customer complained "I went to Panera today for the first time in a few weeks only to find out all the flatbread pizzas have been retired. The margherrita flatbread was my favorite one so this just feels upsetting." They expressed confusion over the reason, but as Panera Bread's Chief Operating Officer Debbie Roberts explained in the press release, the company is trying to "focus on our core menu and serve our guests more efficiently with enhanced portions and better value." It seems that core involves a stronger emphasis on soups, salads, and sandwiches over pizzas.

These flatbread pizzas were made on wheat dough topped with meats and cheeses. While you can no longer eat a pipping hot pizza in Panera restaurants, you can still enjoy a take-home variety. Panera's At-Home Flatbread Pizza comes with Chipotle Chicken, Margherita, Pepperoni, and Six Cheese toppings and is available in the refrigerated section of select grocery stores.

Panera Bread

Another Panera item customers are mourning in 2024 is the Warm Grain Bowl. On Reddit, one user lamented, "Today, I went to Panera to get one of my favorite items, the Mediterranean warm bowl with chicken. I was told the warm bowls were removed from the menu permanently [...] Your warm bowls were really the only reason I came here." At first, a few respondents were hopeful about a similar-sounding Mediterranean salad, but these dreams were quickly squashed after trying it. "The only thing similar really is the hummus," one commenter mentioned, adding, "It's not terrible but definitely doesn't hit the same."

The original grain bowls had a rice and quinoa base topped with a hearty portion of veggies, protein, and fat. The well-loved Mediterranean Grain Bowl contained chicken, olives, hummus, and feta among other tasty ingredients, while the Baja Grain Bowl was perfect for vegetarians with a pension for Tex-Mex cuisine. It came with two different salsas, avocado, and Greek yogurt, and was a fairly well-balanced meal. If you're still craving something nutritious, check out our list of the healthiest Panera Bread items.

Daym Drops / YouTube

Do you love nachos and burgers? Well, 2023 was your year at Wendy's because you didn't have to decide! This period saw the launch of two new Wendy's items, the Loaded Nacho Cheeseburger and Loaded Nacho Chicken Sandwich. Both were topped with melted cheese, poblano queso, spicy tortilla strips, and chipotle sauce along with the standard lettuce and tomato. It was a match made in culinary heaven, but unfortunately, it didn't last long.

Per PR Newswire, Wendy's Chief Marketing OfficerLindsay Radkoski explained the inspiration behind these new additions,"The new Loaded Nacho Cheeseburger pays homage to two American tailgating classics — cheeseburgers and nachos" Although the Wendy's blog later mentioned the cheeseburger as being limited-time only, we didn't see any indication at the time that these items were purely seasonal. So you can imagine our disappointment when we heard rumblings online that, after less than a year, both loaded nacho options had been discontinued.

OneWendy's employee offered a potential reason for the items' retirement on Reddit,stating, "We hardly sell any of those at the Wendy's I work at. Very low sales. But Wendy's will have some other burger to take its place. Happens all the time in the fast food business." If this item is truly discontinued, the logic makes sense. But burger-nacho lovers will be hard-pressed to find a replacement that hits the spot quite like this loaded combo did.

Trader Joe's

Every year around Christmas time, Trader Joe's releases seasonal items to get you in that holiday spirit. One of these items stood out from the rest for bringing an interactive element to that post-dinner dessert. Trader Joe's Taste Test of Caramels came with a dozen varied chocolate caramels with flavored fillings including maple, sea salt, and creme brulee. The catch here is that tasty truffles were unmarked, forcing you to put those tastebuds to work in identifying each flavor. Unfortunately, according to a Parade article, Trader Joe's discontinued this seasonal favorite and hundreds of other items at the end of 2023.

If you love a good culinary challenge, you'll miss these sweetsjust as much for their flavor as for the memories they created. As one Amazon customer reminisces, "We had this as a guessing game for dessert with two other couples. It was perfect. we cut the truffles into small pieces and tried to figure out what flavor each one was." Each chocolate provided quite the mystery, but sadly, so has their disappearance. If our source proves right, you won't find them on store shelves in the future, so you better stock up while they last. Last time we checked, these caramels wereno longer available on Amazon and the Trader Joe's site had limited availability. TJ regulars in need of a replacement will have to choose another one ofTrader Joe's top candy optionsto satisfy that sweet tooth.

Trader Joe's

Minty Mallows have stocked Trader Joe's shelves every holiday season — that is, until now. In a since-deleted Reddit post, a customer commented on the thread, saying, "I was at Trader Joe's today looking for Minty Mallows and an employee went to check for order status. He informed me that Trader Joe's has discontinued Minty Mallows. They can no longer order them." We also noticed that Minty Mallows had been removed from Trader Joe's online lineup. These fluffy marshmallow treats were covered in rich dark chocolate and came with a peppermint flavor perfect for the season.

Saying farewell to these seasonal treats won't be easy, but if you want to stock up on these marshmallow bites before they go completely extinct, you might be in luck. The product is still available from select Amazon sellers. And if the supply dwindles before you get there, we've found a backup plan. On another Reddit post, one user found a similar product at Aldi, exclaiming, "I am happy to report that Aldi is selling these Dark Chocolate Peppermint Marshmallow trees and they taste exactly like Minty Mallows."

masterbuilder14 / Reddit

Half the fun of Costco is its food court. After a busy bulk-food shopping spree, you're bound to work up an appetite and one of the top crave-worthy Costco items is its churros — or so it was. Fox 11 reported that Costco removed its churros from the menu, replacing it with a 7-inch Double Chocolate Chunk Cookie. This change also sees a price increase, since the churros cost $1.49 but the cookies are on offer at $2.49 each.

Some shoppers welcome the swap, but others aren't so pleased with the change. On Reddit, one user noted, "Costco will phase out the churros in early 2024. it breaks my heart to see it go, although I have noticed the churro recipe & texture have changed since the 90s." Others agreed that Costco's cinnamon-coated pastry was far better in the past, "The old school straight ones were perfectly crispy and then kinda soft in the middle, ugh, so good."

The twisted changes resulted in what some would describe as a drier, blander churro and perhaps led to its discontinuation. For now, we'll have to give the gooey cookies a go. But if Costco decides to bring back the original churro recipe, it'll definitely churr-up some fans.

forever_a10ne / Reddit

Are you a vegetarian and a Taco Bell fan? Well, you may want to avert your eyes because you can't unread what we're about to share. Taco Bell has bid farewell to the Fiesta Veggie Burrito. You won't find it anywhere on the menu. Instead, the fast-food chain recommends the Black Bean Crunchwrap or the Blackbean Chalupa Supreme. But if we're honest, these replacements aren't up to par.

On Reddit, rumor has it the changes took effect as early as January 11, 2024, and reading through the thread, it's obvious customers were not happy about it. Many noticedthat vegetarian options seem to be disappearing across all fast-food menus, with one noting, "Taco Bell was one of the last remaining fast food places that had a reasonably-priced veggie option." Otherscomplained about the so-called alternatives, "Neither of those are good fiesta veggie burrito substitutes, and they're 3x as expensive to boot."

If you're crushed by the disappearance of this beloved burrito, you're not alone. There's even a Change.org petition to bring it back. And who knows — if it reaches its goal and Taco Bell obliges the request, we might have to throw a fiesta in its honor.

wherearethecigs / Reddit

Cheese, chipotle, and chicken came together perfectly in this burrito-style melt. Sadly, Reddit users reported that it was nixed as part of Taco Bell's 2024 revamp. We couldn't find it on Taco Bell's menu, confirming these suspicions.

If you're missing this menu item, you can go for the 3-Cheese Chicken Flatbread Meltwhich has similar ingredients on thin bread that's been doubled over. But we should warn you, although you get the cheesy element, the texture isn't quite the same.Luckily, a savvy consumer onRedditsuggested another alternative, saying, "I've found that the Stacker with chicken, substitute for beef, no nacho cheese, and add chipotle sauce has the same taste as a chicken chipotle melt. It's about the size and calories of two chicken chipotle melts."

Of course, none of these alternatives will be as economical as the $1 Chicken Chipotle Melt once was. Budget goers will have to resort to simpler items on Taco Bell's Craving Value Menu like a Chessy Roll Up for $1 or a Cheesy Bean and Rice Burrito for $1.19.

Taco Bell

Another fan favorite that's no longer anywhere to be found on Taco Bell's menu? The $5 Classic Combo. However, you will find a Build Your Own Cravings Box, which allows you to choose a specialty, a classic, a side, and a drink starting at $5.99. So besides the slight price increase, what's the difference between the two? As one customer points out on Reddit,"You can't get a soft taco alongside a beefy 5 layer in the BYOC, and the 5 dollar combo comes with a large drink instead of a medium." Other commenters noted that the BYOC Box was more restrictive, and upgrades will cost you even more.

Essentially, with the $5 Classic Combo Box, you could feed a family of four for just $20. With the portion sizes, all family members were bound to be satisfied. Although we're sad to see this deal go, there are still fast-food joints with incredible value mealsto whet that appetite and spare that wallet.

Pringles

"Once you pop, you can't stop." The old Pringles slogan proves true, especially when it comes to some of the brand's most moreish flavors. And if you love your crisps with a kick, that probably included Pringles' jalapeño varieties. Pringles has released several different jalapeño chips over the years, including Mild JalapeñoCheddar and Jalapeño Bacon. More recently, you may have seen Fire Roasted Jalapeños added to the Pringles Wavy line. However, all these jalapeño chips mysteriously vanished from the brand's lineup.

We may never know why Jalapeño Pringles were discontinuedor the exact date of their disappearance. That being said, we did scrounge up a post onX, formerly known as Twitter from the official Pringles account, verifying that these chips were gone for good. In response to a sad consumer, Pringles replied, "That flavor has been discontinued. We're really sorry for the inconvenience." The company kept things short and to the point, providing no more information as to its decision. But if one thing is for certain, you can give up the quest to find Jalapeño Pringles. For those who miss thatspicy sensation, try Pringles Scorchin Crisps, which come in Sour Cream and Onion, Buffalo, BBQ, and Cheddar.

Cheerios

Were Maple Cheerios a staple in your pantry? Unfortunately, you can officially say cheerio to thems. The cereal was discontinued in May 2023, and the company confirmed the sad news via X, formerly known as Twitter. However, you may not have noticed the disappearance of this cereal until 2024, when supplies dwindled and the product was no longer available on store shelves. Although the reason for the discontinuation is unclear, fans are clearly disappointed. One Maple Cheerios fan said onX,"This is your best flavor. Why take away something that has such great reviews?"

That being said, General Mills is set to release six new cereals in 2024, so perhaps you'll discover a replacement. Fox 10 Phoenix reports that among these you'll find Reese's Peanut Butter Lovers and Lucky Charms Berry Swirls. However, the one that comes closest to our much loved Maple Cheerios isMaple Cinnamon Cheerios Hearty Nut Medley. The new addition sounds like a mouthful in more ways than one, but might be an upgrade. You get that classic maple flavor along with cinnamon, sliced almonds, and pumpkin seeds.