45 Discontinued Foods I Bet You Will Only Remember If You Were Born Before 1980

Whether you fondly recall the era when McDonald’s fries were cooked in beef tallow or remember collecting yogurt lids for The Suite Life of Zack & Cody sweepstakes, food has a way of searing itself into our memories. Recently, one redditor asked the Reddit community r/askoldpeople, "What discontinued food item do you still think about to this day?" The responses are sure to awaken your nostalgia and unearth food memories you didn’t even know were tucked away.

1."I miss cereal in the little individual boxes; they came in a cardboard tray with 8 or 10 different ones. Both Kellogg's and Post had them if I remember correctly."

2."Pepperidge Farm layer cakes"

3."Certs. They're two mints in one."

4."Puddin' pops."

5."Quisp. It was one of my favorite cereals in the '60s and '70s. I remember mailing in my vote when Quaker pitted Quisp vs. Quake, and Quisp won and stayed around for a few more years. It has made comebacks over the years, but distribution is limited."

6."I loved Carnation breakfast bars! They weren't too sweet or sugary, and not bad nutritionally, if I recall. I wish these would come back; they would beat out most of the bars on the market today."

7."Taco Bell Nacho Supreme! Used to come with green onions. At some point, there was a foodborne illness outbreak traced to the green onions, and they quit using them. Then they quit selling Nacho Supreme."

8."There was this awesome breakfast cereal back in the late 1970s and early '80s called Buc Wheats. Imagine a wheat flake glazed with a honey flavor glaze that keeps it from soaking in milk for a few minutes."

9."Those windmill cookies. I think that they may still be sold in some places, but I can’t find them in local stores in Washington."

10."Freshen-up gum with a pillowy texture and squishy, gooey liquid center. I have a feeling it was made for smokers, but I loved it as a kid!"

11."The personal pan pizza at Pizza Hut in the 80’s. So crispy, buttery, and delicious. I remember them tossing dough in the air!"

12."Space Food Sticks. When I was in sixth grade in 1972, they were IT."

13."Tang Gang here... that was a special treat!"

14."Taco Bell's Enchirito."

15."McDLT."

16."Marathon candy bar."

17."'Tunnel' bundt cake mixes (especially the chocolate with coconut filling)!"

18."The REAL Hostess Ding Dongs wrapped in foil!"

19."Chocodiles. They were like a Twinkie with a chocolate coating. I told my husband about them 20 years ago, and he thought I was making them up. Then, we found them on a road trip at a gas station in Bakersfield, California. I guess they are available regionally there. Not sure if they have survived."

20."Howard Johnson's fried clams."

21."McDonald's deep fried cherry pies. So yummy."

22."Suzy Q’s"

23."Tato skins."

24."The original French bread pizza in the frozen food section. I think Stouffer's was the first, but I don't consider it the same as it was in the '70s and '80s. I used to love it, but when I went to college, I stopped eating many of the things my parents would buy. Years later, I saw it, and the nostalgia kicked in, so I bought some. Didn't taste anything like I remember. In fact, it was bland tasting. I remembered it tasting way better."

25."Slush mugs. Put your orange juice in, and a few minutes later, it’s a wonderful orange ice to eat with a spoon."

26."Cooking bags. Gravy with sliced beef and the Salisbury steak were my favorites. They came frozen in a sealed bag, you put the bag in water and bring it to a boil, and voila! Tasty dish."

27."King Vitaman cereal. If I remember correctly it was similar to Cap'n Crunch."

28."Sunshine Golden Raisin Biscuit."

29."Junket pudding. Does anyone else remember that?"

30."PBMax candy bars"

31."It's not discontinued as such, and it wasn't really a brand (Broaster was the brand of pressure cooker they were made in), but I really miss Broasted chicken. Broasted chicken is basically fried chicken that is breaded and lightly fried in oil, then finished in a pressure cooker using oil instead of water. Super crisp on the outside super moist on the inside. Like I said, it's not discontinued, but I've only seen one vendor selling it in the last fifty years, a mobile vendor at a fair."

32."Keebler Magic Middles."

33."Sara Lee frozen boxed cakes. I last remember seeing them sometime in the '90s. They had a coffee/chocolate one that was sooooo good."

34."Figurines. 'Figurines do a lady proud; it's the diet lunch that you can crunch out loud..'"

35."Screaming Yellow Zonkers."

36."Pepperidge Farms broccoli/cheese pastry puffs (in the frozen section)."

37."Sizzlean. I didn’t realize it’s not around."

38."Choco Tacos. My son and I loved them. Why would they get rid of something so delicious?"

39."Bubble Yum"

40."Nabisco Chocolate wafers cookies. Just discontinued a few years ago."

41."Kellogg's made these pop tart-type pastries that were oval shaped to resemble a Danish. Disappeared in the early '70s."

42."Noodles Romanoff."

43."Banana Nut Crunch."

44."Little Debbie Caramel cookie bars."

45."Tuna Twist. I think it was available in the late '70s or so. I loved tuna salad as a child and saw commercials for it on TV with dancing vegetables, and begged my grandmother to get it for me. I loved it. It was actually some weird vegetable protein flakes or something meant to stretch tuna during the recession and dehydrated celery, onion, and pepper in it, and I thought it made the most delicious tuna salad in the world."

What food items do you remember from past decades that are sorely missing from grocery store shelves today? Tell us in the comments or anonymously via this form!

Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.