12 Food Items That Were Sadly Discontinued In 2024

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.

April 4, 2024, marked a new era at Panera as the company unveiled over 20 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.

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 Officer Lindsay 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.

One Wendy'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.

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." 

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 noticed that 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." Others complained 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.   

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 meals to whet that appetite and spare that wallet.  

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 on X, "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 is Maple 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.