11 Foods That Basically Disappeared In 2021

Thanks to lockdowns, bouts of illness, and lack of adequate working conditions, factories and delivery mechanisms have been severely understaffed as of late. This — along with rising gas prices, increased demand thanks to COVID habits, and a slew of other changes to our world — has created serious problems in the shipping industry. Supply chain issues are the hot topic of late 2021, affecting everything from Christmas tree sales to charitable gifting and creating widespread scarcity.

If you've been thinking grocery store shelves have looked empty lately, you're not wrong. This year made it clear that the pandemic was not going anywhere, and as the supply chain felt the heat, companies have had to drastically rethink their production strategies. According to CNN, while the name of the game used to be abundance and variety, food corporations have shifted to simply providing enough of the classics to keep up with demand. To put this in perspective, the ever-growing Kraft-Heinz nixed a remarkable 20% of its products at the end of 2020, and was only one of several major producers to do some cutting back. The result was thinned-out product lines, the sudden disappearance of niche flavors, and panicked calls from devotees of certain foods.

We searched the internet high and low for near extinctions, and are here to give you the update on some of your furloughed favorites. From ice cream to alternative milks and oh, so many chips, read on to see what foods barely made it through 2021.

Starbucks has also fallen victim to some supply chain issues, which have affected a total of 25 menu items. Many of the chain's stores have run out of drink components and food items, as well as cups, lids, and straws. There are some surprising inclusions on the absence list, including hazelnut syrup, one of the chain's more popular additions.

Customers are understandably upset, taking to social media to voice their concerns. "I just don't get how Starbucks has been out of hazelnut for 6 months," said one frustrated Twitter user. Others have pointed out how silly it feels that Starbucks is out of syrup when individual consumers can still purchase it from the store, like user one frustrated user who asked, "How the f*** the Starbucks inside Target run out of hazelnut syrup?????? GO GET IT."

Unfortunately, supply chain issues mean that although customers can purchase individual syrup bottles from large retailers, Starbucks restaurants cannot procure supplies in the bulk amounts needed to last them weeks or months at a time. If we're choosing to see the glass half full, this also means hazelnut devotees can still get their fix: the original and sugar-free versions of Starbucks hazelnut syrup are available on Amazon at the time of this writing. Do with that information what you will.

The All Dressed Ruffles are a blend of ketchup, barbecue, and salt and vinegar all rolled into one. Although they are not so widely known stateside, they are a top favorite in Canada, and have a permanent home in pantries throughout the country. Unfortunately, the All Dressed Ruffles' popularity could not shield it from the effects of the pandemic, and the flavor was temporarily suspended in late 2020.

Dissatisfied customers took to Twitter, asking Ruffles when their favorite flavor would be back on shelves. Ruffles Support responded with the same message doled out by the other Frito-Lay support channels, saying they had "temporarily paused the production of this snack" with plans "to start back production as soon as possible."

At the time of this writing in 2021, they still have not come back to shelves (much to the confusion of American consumers, some of whom came to the conclusion that the flavor had been a "limited edition"). You can import the Canadian version off of Amazon if you are really jonesing, but even the foreign bags are back-ordered.

Despite pausing production on 20% of their products to focus on the big sellers, Kraft-Heinz has not been able to keep up with Lunchables' demand. The popular snack packs — which often feature cheese and crackers, buildable mini pizzas, or other kid-sized versions of classic American meals — have been flying off the shelves, and as of late 2021, were becoming increasingly difficult to find.

As eating habits have changed over the course of the pandemic, the Lunchables line has seen demand double in just the course of five years, according to Today. Parents struggling under the pressures of the pandemic have likely fueled this growth as they search for easy and efficient ways to feed their children. This increased demand, coupled with supply chain issues, has resulted in Lunchables being more difficult to find.

Concerned fans took to the internet to share their concerns over the shortage. One person, commenting on a Lunchables Instagram post, complained, "Cannot find them at any store in my entire area. Getting ridiculous now." As the news made its way across parenting websites, panic began to swell, prompting Kraft Heinz to release a statement. In an email to TODAY Food, Kraft Heinz said, "We're actively investing in our supply chains and have teams working fast and furiously so our retailers and consumers can get more of the Kraft Heinz products they love."

Adding to their ever-expanding portfolio, Coke realeased a line of Coca-Cola with Coffee beverages in January of 2021. Everything you need to know about this drink is in the name — it's part canned coffee, part classic soda. The drink saw decent success after its launch, and seemed like it might grab a permanent spot in the beverage aisle.

Several months later, supply chain issues got worse and Coke had to make some tough decisions. The company announced in May that it was discontinuing Coke Energy, which had been released in January of 2020, to make room for better sellers — including Coca-Cola with Coffee. However, despite specifically naming coffee Coke in their statement as a product given top priority, customers began to notice its absence on shelves. One fan on Twitter asked the company straight up, "@CocaCola why cant i find coca cola with coffee anywhere?" Coca-Cola issued a prompt response, saying, "Due to extreme demand on certain products we are temporarily putting our focus on producing more of those beverages." In other words, despite initially being one of the saved, even coffee Coke was eventually put on indefinite hold.

If you're a fan of the beverage, don't fret. It seems like Coke has figured out some of their supply chain issues and ramped up production again on Coca-Cola with Coffee. At the time of writing, the product locator on the Coke website shows the beverage's vanilla version in stock at several major retailers (although it's still missing from quite a few).

Ben & Jerry's is known for its plethora of wacky flavors. From the decadent swirls of Chocolate Therapy to celeb-backed puns like Americone Dream, the variety of interesting mix-ins is largely responsible for the company's success. However, during the coronavirus pandemic, they became part of the problem.

In an email to a supplier during September of 2021, the company behind the ice cream stated that "labor shortages continue to drive a limited ability to meet demand." Because of their inability to meet production goals, they continued, certain flavors would be put on indefinite pause. One unfortunate victim of this tragedy was Ice Cream Sammie.

A somewhat recent addition to the lineup, the flavor was added for the summer of 2019 and quickly rose to become a fan favorite. It features vanilla ice cream with chocolate sandwich cookie chunks and swirls — basically like an ice cream sandwich made into a pint. Distraught fans took to Twitter, pleading with followers and Ben & Jerry's alike to help them find their favorite flavor. Ice cream fan Kyle Lohr seemed particularly panicked, saying, "Yall WHERE is this flavor? It comes and goes so fast because it's the best cookies and cream flavor ever to be made but impossible to find. HELP." Sorry, Kyle, but we've got some more bad news. At the time of writing, Ice Cream Sammie has not made a return to stores.