NESTLE has axed a beloved Christmas chocolate treat, and shoppers are gutted.
Fans of After Eight will no longer be able to savour the mint chocolate in straw form.
Nestle has officially ceased production of After Eight Straws 14 years after they were first introduced.
The discontinuation of the chocolate bars was confirmed when a shopper enquired on X (formerly Twitter).
They asked: “Nestle, I’ve been touring our local supermarkets for After Eight Straws, and I can’t find them…
“Are they discontinued?”
In response to the query on X, Nestle stated: “Unfortunately, After Eight Straws have already been discontinued.”
The sweet treat, first introduced in 2010, combined dark chocolate straws with a smooth mint filling.
Shoppers have long loved the product, and one person has described them as “the best” on social media site X.
Another said: “After Eight straws are up in the clouds.”
A third called them “elite”.
Before they were discontinued, shoppers could purchase the 110g tubs for £2 at Asda and other major supermarkets.
Shoppers can still get their hands on the traditional After Eight chocolate squares for £2.50 at most grocers.
A Nestle spokesperson added: “Every year, we create a range of confectionery for the Christmas season.
“This year, After Eight Straws will not be available, but we will have our range of After Eight confectionery, including classic After Eight, After Eight Winter Fondant bags and the After Eight Mint Collection, which wraps up five delicious peppermint chocolate, available for consumers to enjoy over the festive period.”
After Eight mint chocolates were created by Rowntree Company Limited in 1962.
Production initially took place at Rowntree’s York factory, later moving to Castleford in 1970 and finally to Halifax in 2012.
Nestle acquired Rowntree in 1988.
Over one billion After Eights are produced annually.
The mints were originally dairy-free dark chocolate.
However, in 2002, Nestlé began adding butterfat to improve resistance to chocolate bloom.
This practice extended to all production facilities by 2009.
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 several 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 a cheaper alternative, especially when costs are rising 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 CHOCOLATE AXED
Last week, Nestle confirmed it had ceased production of its Quality Street Collisions sharing bar just a year after their initial launch.
Chocolate maker Cadbury has ditched its Dairy Milk Daim Little Robins this festive season.
The treats were released in 2019 alongside the Dairy Milk orange snowman and Winter Gingerbread bar.
But this week, the manufacturer announced the chocolates have been withdrawn from shops to make way for more flavours.
Cadbury regularly refreshes its product range to introduce new favourites.
It discontinued another Christmas favourite – Dairy Milk Winter Orange Crisp – this year too.
The 360g bar was made of smooth chocolate enhanced with tangy orange crisps, and it became a festive favourite for fans of the chocolatier.
The Dairy Milk Snowman and Festive Friends will also not appear on shelves this Christmas.
Cadbury discontinued another orange-flavoured bar earlier this year – Dairy Milk Orange.
The 180g snack was launched in 2021 following a surge in popularity for chocolate orange products.
This included Cadbury’s orange Twirl in 2019, Buttons and Fingers in 2020, and Tesco‘s chocolate orange bourbons.
How to save money on chocolate
We all love a bit of chocolate from now and then, but you don’t have to break the bank buying your favourite bar.
Consumer reporter Sam Walker reveals how to cut costs…
Go own brand – if you’re not too fussed about flavour and just want to supplant your chocolate cravings, you’ll save by going for the supermarket’s own brand bars.
Shop around – if you’ve spotted your favourite variety at the supermarket, make sure you check if it’s cheaper elsewhere.
Websites like Trolley.co.uk let you compare prices on products across all the major chains to see if you’re getting the best deal.
Look out for yellow stickers – supermarket staff put yellow, and sometimes orange and red, stickers on to products to show they’ve been reduced.
They usually do this if the product is coming to the end of its best-before date or the packaging is slightly damaged.
Buy bigger bars – most of the time, but not always, chocolate is cheaper per 100g the larger the bar.
So if you’ve got the appetite, and you were going to buy a hefty amount of chocolate anyway, you might as well go bigger.
