Tuesday, October 8, 2024

6 Grocery and Menu Items That We Lost in 2022

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Smiling woman waving goodbye
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Food memories are extraordinarily powerful. Just look at most Thanksgiving dinner menus, many of which are stuffed full of family recipes handed down for generations.

Foods taste good, sure, but they also spark warm memories that have nothing to do with the taste, and everything to do with the people and experiences these foods evoke.

So when a familiar food product vanishes for good, there’s an understandable feeling of loss, even if it’s a fast-food sandwich or candy bar. A number of products say farewell every year, and some will be missed more than others.

Here’s a look at several foods that were discontinued in 2022.

McDonald’s McRib

McDonald's McRib
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McDonald’s McRib sandwich, boneless pork slathered in barbecue sauce and served on a bun with pickles and onions, debuted in 1981. It has never landed a permanent spot on the menu, but periodically showed up to much advertising fanfare, then vanished.

In 2022, McDonald’s announced the McRib’s “farewell tour,” which … may not really be a “farewell.” The company’s official statement is intentionally vague.

Could McD’s just be trying to whip up some nostalgic love for the sandwich, hoping for better sales when it inevitably comes back? Maybe, or maybe diners have seen the last of the McRib.

Honest Tea

Honest Tea
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Honest Tea, a line of organic bottled teas, had some famous fans. Then-President Barack Obama kept the White House stocked with his favorite flavors, The New York Times reported in 2009.

Coca-Cola bought part of the company in 2008, and the rest of it in 2011. Then in 2022, the beverage giant announced it would discontinue the drink.

SnackWell’s cookies

Snackwell's cookies or cakes
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Cookies may not seem like a great choice for those who want to eat healthily. But from its 1992 start on, the SnackWell’s line pitched itself as an option for snackers looking for low-fat indulgence. Yet the brand also created something dubbed the “SnackWell effect,” where snackers ate too many of the treats because of the idea that they were healthy. (The effect was even cited in a 1995 “Seinfeld” episode.) The brand was retired in 2022.

Burger King Ch’King Sandwich

Burger King Ch'King fried chicken sandwich
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Burger King regularly tinkers with a variety of chicken offerings, and in 2021, it introduced the weirdly punctuated Ch’King Sandwich. This hand-breaded crispy chicken sandwich was BK’s entry into the headline-making chicken sandwich wars that began when Popeye’s Southern-style offering went viral in 2019.

While many eaters crowned the Ch’King as a favorite, the company retired it in late 2022, with a spokesman saying it was “difficult or challenging for teams to execute on.” It’s been replaced by the BK Royal Crispy Chicken sandwich.

Choco Taco

Choco Taco
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Tacos for dessert? Sure, if it’s the Choco Taco, a taco-shaped ice-cream dessert dipped in chocolate. This summer, parent company Klondike announced the frozen treat was being discontinued, and Choco Taco lovers bewailed the loss on social media.

There’s some hope — after the uproar, the company announced it would try to bring the treat back in the future, perhaps to ice cream trucks, but there’s no timeline. For now, the loss gave eaters something to taco ‘bout.

Kroger’s Fizz & Co. Seltzers

Fizzing seltzer or soda
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Flavored waters have long been popular with those who want to stay hydrated and enjoy a variety of tastes as well. But in 2022, Kroger discontinued its line of Fizz & Co. flavored seltzers, although a representative said on Twitter that it wasn’t an easy decision.

Fans lamented the loss of one of the few seltzer flavors that didn’t just stick to fruit varieties, instead offering cola, root beer and a Dr Pepper-style drink as well. Fizz & Co. fans are discussing the loss on a Facebook page where people post their memories of the drink, as well as suggest substitute waters.

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