Few issues elicit bipartisan support anymore, but one universal cause of distress across America this week is Klondike announcing that its iconic dessert Choco Taco is being discontinued after nearly 40 years.
A rep for Klondike, owned by Unilever, confirmed that the product would no longer be available after July due to increased demand for its other products.
Klondike's Choco Taco Discontinued After Almost 40 Years. pic.twitter.com/U3ZCZMn7sw
— Kevín (@KevOnStage) July 25, 2022
“Over the past two years, we have experienced an unprecedented spike in demand across our portfolio and have had to make very tough decisions to ensure availability of our full portfolio nationwide,” a Klondike representative said, as reported by The Washington Post. “A necessary but unfortunate part of this process is that we sometimes must discontinue products, even a beloved item like Choco Taco.”
The novelty dessert item consisted of vanilla ice cream in a taco-shaped waffle cone which was partially covered with milk chocolate and topped with peanuts. It was invented by Alan Drazen in 1983, the publication noted.
Choco Taco was available at Taco Bell locations briefly in February in celebration of Klondike’s 100 year anniversary.
Fans on Twitter were devastated to find out that the Choco Taco would be going away. Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) jokingly told his 1 million Twitter followers that he’d be taking drastic measures to save the classic dessert offering.
“NEWS: Tomorrow I am introducing legislation to invoke the Defense Production Act to mandate the continued manufacture of Choco Tacos,” Murphy wrote. “Please call your Senator and demand they co-sponsor.”
“If Choco Tacos are gone, what’s next? Hershey Pies? Salt and vinegar potato chips? Baseball? AMERICAN DEMOCRACY? I tell you: this is how it starts,” bestselling author Stephen King wrote.
“Discontinuing the Choco Taco has been the worst thing to happen to the Hispanic community since the word Latinx,” someone else wrote.
“The Choco-Taco wasn’t discontinued under Trump’s administration. Something to think about while voting in the primaries,” one person joked.
“The Choco Taco is the best mass-produced ice cream product ever. Unacceptable. Appalling. Outrageous,” another fan shared.
“Look we can all remember it fondly, but like a lot of things that have died — it wasn’t as good as we remember,” another person mused. “Realistically: the shell was often too pliable, the ice cream was mostly flavorless air, and the sweetest ingredients were the memories.”
News of the Choco Taco’s demise came just days after ice cream maker Good Humor confirmed they were halting production on Toasted Almond Bars, another dessert favorite. Good Humor also blamed production problems on its decision to cut less popular novelty items in favor of better sellers.