Discontinued Snacks We Miss the Most

Snack foods may be processed and horrible for your health, but sometimes the deliciousness is worth it. Sadly, not all snack foods can withstand the whims of capitalism and are discontinued, living on only in our hearts and far out of reach from our tastebuds. 

This list is going to be full of nostalgia. Many of these snack foods were discontinued around a decade ago, so there might be some romanticizing going on unless they’re brought back with their original recipes. However, we’ll never truly know if they held up.

Without further ado, let’s get to the snacks!

#5 – Hershey’s Swoops

At number five, we have Hershey’s Swoops. I don’t think these were very well-known, and after looking into why they were discontinued, it seems like most people only bought them for the novelty of chocolate shaped like potato chips. The flavors were all based on types of candy bars like York peppermint patties, almond joys, and classic Hershey bars.

I remember them very fondly as a school lunch treat, and the taste, in my opinion, was really good especially the Reese’s ones. It’s hard to beat a chocolate peanut butter combo after all. These discontinued snacks were a real treat, so it’s a shame for anyone who missed out on them.

They sadly didn’t last long and were taken off shelves in 2006 after being introduced a mere three years before in 2003. Despite being around for such a short amount of time, I still think about them from time to time when I have a hankering for chocolate.  

#4 – Raspberry Newtons

Yes, I am aware that I have the taste of an old man on this one. I don’t care though, I loved raspberry newtons with all my heart. I am also aware that I’m probably the only one who actually misses these. While looking into when and how they disappeared from shelves, I came across a lawsuit filed against Nabisco over the berry-flavored Newtons. Clearly, nothing valuable was lost as far as other consumers are concerned.

The soft texture of the cookie coupled with the slightly sour raspberry was delicious. The strawberry flavor is alright, but the raspberry will always be superior. I’m not entirely an old man, though, and I don’t like the flagship fig newtons very much. 

I couldn’t find out exactly when raspberry newtons were discontinued. It’s likely that the shipments slowly petered out until Nabisco’s warehouses ran out, and they never made an official announcement. If they haven’t been officially discontinued, I can’t find where you can actually buy them either.

#3 – Oreo Cakesters

These babies were like an ice cream sandwich. You didn’t have to worry about melting. The texture of the cream and the soft cookie sandwich were both so good. They were the envy of any school lunch. I swear I have memories of kids trading their entire lunch for a pack of these; that’s how good they were. Or sugary, you know, for kids, that’s basically the same thing.

While 2012 may not have been the end of the world, it was the end for these delightful treats. They lasted a bit longer than some of the other discontinued snacks on the list. They were around for 5 years after being introduced in 2007. But like so many others, they’ve been long gone for a while now.

Cakesters may not have been available in as many flavors as regular Oreos. Still, they did come in the classic chocolate and white crème and “golden,” which had yellow cake cookies instead. 

*2022 update: Oreo Cakesters were brought back by Nabisco along with Nutter Butter Cakesters 10 years after they were discontinued. Both treats seem to be on the shelves for the foreseeable future at this time.

#2 – Altoid Sours

These were a beloved childhood treat. I remember my elementary school teachers using these as motivators to do better on tests or help out with classroom chores. They were a delight to suck on as the coating melted away and left you with a fruity sour taste that made your mouth feel a little tingly. 

The mints (can you call them mints?) were discontinued in 2010 after being introduced in 2004 to the disappointment of millions (I assume). They came in a variety of flavors, but my favorite was undoubtedly the tangerine sours. If you’re looking to buy an old tin, you can still get them 2nd hand on eBay, but they don’t come cheap. 

A pack of four flavors can even run as high as $320 dollars. I can’t imagine they would still be very good over ten years later but hey, whatever floats your boat. If anyone does end up buying a tin, let us know how they held up.

#1 – Cheetos Twisted Puffs

You really don’t know how much I miss these. I remember the growing disappointment as I asked my parents to get a bag for me when they went grocery shopping, only to be told over and over that they couldn’t find it.

These discontinued snacks were cut in 2012 without anyone really talking about them. It felt as if they were there one day and gone the next without anyone but me noticing… And my parents because I kept bugging them to help me find them. There was nothing like finding a whole long twist, unbroken from the shipping process and slowly segmenting out each curl.

If you never had the twisted puffs, they were similar to the regular Cheetos puffs. Though Twisted Puffs were a little bit thicker and curly and slightly more dense. They were like the curly fry of Cheetos. Which means they were that much better than the regular stuff automatically. I could eat a whole bag of these bad boys and savor every crunchy twist.

The biggest reason for pulling snacks off shelves is usually that there wasn’t enough consumer interest, together though we can show companies that we are interested! You can head over to Change.org to sign one of the multiple petitions to bring back our favorite snack foods. 

If you’re interested in more food-related nostalgia, you can also check out our blog on what your favorite childhood cereal says about you!

What’s your favorite discontinued snack?