RIP, reduced-fat peanut butter: The snack aisle is downsizing

Pancakes. Harleys. Toilet paper. Our buying options might be shrinking for good.

Minimalism has come for our snack foods.

RIP, reduced-fat peanut butter: The snack aisle is downsizing

These last few months, major manufacturers have struggled to churn out enough flour or frozen pizza to stock grocery store shelves.

Now they’re trying to get their supply chains under control. That means cutting down on midlist products so they can focus on producing their top sellers.

All of your unpopular faves — lightly salted Lay’s barbecue chips or reduced-fat Jif peanut butter? — are about to be swept into the trash bin of munchie history.

Please, at least spare our pancakes  

The devastation is hitting all industries:

  • IHOP is cutting its menu down from 12 pages to 2.
  • In some cases, the number of toilet paper options at IGA groceries has tumbled from ~40 to just 4.
  • Even Harley-Davidson is paring down its number of bike brands to focus only on the moneymakers.

And cost-cutting isn’t the only driver 

Some foods are disappearing for completely separate reasons.

You’re not going to be able to buy a half-sheet cake from Costco anytime soon — a decision the company made not to fix the supply chain, but to “create more space for social distancing” in the store.

Topics: Coronavirus Food

Related Articles

Get the 5-minute news brief keeping 2.5M+ innovators in the loop. Always free. 100% fresh. No bullsh*t.