Nestle axes popular breakfast staple from shelves as it confirms item has been discontinued and shoppers are gutted
NESTLE has axed a popular breakfast staple and shoppers have been left gutted.
The food giant has discontinued Cheerios Vanilla O’s.
It comes after one shopper tweeted Nestle and asked about the product.
They said: “Hi @NestleCerealsUK would I be correct in saying that Vanilla Cheerios have been discontinued in the UK now?
“I can’t find them anywhere…”
In response, Nestle said: “Hi Rob, they have been discontinued, we’re sorry about that!”
“They’re so good, why?” said another shopper.
Nestle has been contacted for comment.
Big brands often switch up ranges depending on customer demand.
Vanilla Cheerios first hit the shelves back in October 2021.
The breakfast staple contained less than 5% sugar and comprised 85% whole grain.
It was also marketed as non-HFSS or non-high in fat, salt or sugar.
A 360g box from Sainsbury’s used to set shoppers back £3.30.
However, the product is now unavailable online and in-store.
Why are products axed or recipes changed?
ANALYSIS by chief consumer reporter James Flanders.
Food and drinks makers have been known to tweak their recipes or axe items altogether.
They often say that this is down to the changing tastes of customers.
There are a number of reasons why this could be done.
For example, government regulation, like the “sugar tax,” forces firms to change their recipes.
Some manufacturers might choose to tweak ingredients to cut costs.
They may opt for an alternative that’s cheaper, especially when costs are rising in order to keep prices stable.
For example, Tango Cherry disappeared from shelves in 2018.
It has recently returned after six years away, but as a sugar-free version.
Fanta removed sweetener from its sugar-free alternative earlier this year.
Suntory tweaked the flavour of its flagship Lucozade Original and Orange energy drinks.
While the amount of sugar in every bottle remains unchanged, the supplier swapped out the sweetener aspartame for sucralose.
Other axed favourites
Earlier this month, we reported that Heinz has also stopped producing its popular ploughman’s pickle.
It comes after Heinz confirmed it had discontinued the Piccalilli Pickle condiment.
Some customers contacted Heinz after noticing that tins of Organic Baked Beans were missing from supermarket shelves.
Tesco fans were also left “gutted” earlier this month after finding out a popular boozy drink was to be culled from shelves.
Fans posted on X disgruntled upon discovering the Finest salted caramel liqueur had been discontinued, with one saying “this really upsets me”.
In March, fans were left begging for the return of Pepsi Max Raspberry after it was discontinued to make way for other flavours at the end of 2023.
Nestle axed Yorkie orange bars last year.
The limited edition bars were launched in 2021 when orange chocolate was all the rage.
Around the same time, Dairy Milk orange bars were also launched, following Cadbury’s orange Twirl in 2019.
But Yorkie’s flamed-coloured version, along with Dairy Milk’s, have both now been scrapped, with loyal buyers left demanding its return.
Chocolate bars we've loved and lost
CHANGES to popular chocolate treats can hit fans hard.
Shoppers were in uproar in January after noticing Dairy Milk Marvellous Mix-ups with Oreo have been axed from shelves.
They were similarly left heartbroken to discover the Cadbury Dairy Milk 30% Less Sugar had also been scrapped, as well as Peanut Caramel Crisp Bars.
Caramac bars have been axed after more than 60 years with Nestle blaming declining sales.
And Animal Bars are also gone for good leaving fans heartbroken.
Milky Way Crispy Rolls were discontinued back in 2022 – but can sometimes be spotted in stores.
Mars discontinued dark chocolate Bounty bars last year for good, after a temporary pause in production,