In the beginning of the new year, many people may unknowingly have tasted the last few bites or sips of their favorite food or drink. Looking back at 2024, many foods and beverages were discontinued, with the most famous being Panera’s controversial Charged Lemonade. Consumers also bid farewell to a failed product introduced by Coca-Cola and a type of colored chewing gum that used to be essential in many children’s lives.
Restaurants and food manufacturers continuously make changes based on their bestselling and underperforming products, so the disappearance of these items is not surprising, but that doesn’t lessen the disappointment felt by the fans.
Here are some of the creative foods and beverages that disappeared in 2024, as compiled by CNN.
Coca-Cola announced in September 2024 that they would cease production of their new flavor, Coca-Cola Spiced. The company did not provide a specific reason, but confusion over the taste (which was not actually spicy) likely contributed to poor sales. Coca-Cola stated that they would introduce an “exciting new flavor” in 2025.
The fruity-flavored and zebra-striped gum, which was known for about sixty years, ceased production in January 2024. The brand owner, Ferrara, also produced Nerds, Fun Dip, and other candy brands.
The company stated that discontinuing the gum was a “difficult decision.” The reason for halting production was attributed to “various factors,” including purchasing patterns and changing consumer preferences.
After nearly a century, the delicious preserves and jams were discontinued in January 2024. The parent company, J.M. Smucker Co., stated in a press release that the company would focus on the recently acquired Hostess products.
One of the most iconic crossover products on grocery store shelves, Oreo O’s, will no longer exist. Post Consumer Brands announced in December 2024 that Oreo O’s will be replaced by cream puffs almost three years later.
Panera removed Charged Lemonade from its menu, a caffeinated beverage that sparked numerous lawsuits and brought the company a public relations nightmare. Two years after its debut, the drink was pulled in May 2024.
Not only this controversial lemonade was taken off this year, but Panera also removed over ten products, including flatbreads, several desserts, and a hot sauce, marking it as the “largest menu overhaul in its history.”
Starbucks discontinued their olive oil coffee.
This series of olive oil-flavored drinks, which involved adding olive oil as a flavoring to coffee, did not appeal to Starbucks customers. Less than a year after their nationwide release, these drinks were canceled in October 2024. The olive oil drinks were a pet project of former CEO Howard Schultz, but faced widespread negative reviews from the media and consumers.
Starbucks’ Iced Energy drink series was also taken off the shelves a few months after its launch in June 2024.