Four Trader Joe's snacks you'll never see again and customers are missing the 'best chips ever'

February 06, 2024

TRADER Joe’s fans remain loyal to the specialty grocer for its low prices and unique products, but the retailer has discontinued several iconic snacks over the years.

While customers often flock to the store to get their favorite snack, many have been disappointed to find out their beloved item vanished from the chain permanently.

Products are discontinued for various reasons throughout the years.

Sometimes items get axed due to supply chain challenges or customer complaints.

However, in the vast majority of cases, low consumer demand is the culprit behind your favorite product getting discontinued for good.

Here’s the full list of discontinued snack products from Trader Joe’s that shoppers still beg the store to bring back.

1. CHOCOLATE CHIP SANDWICH COOKIES

Perhaps getting its inspiration from the iconic Magic Middle cookies that were mysteriously discontinued in the early 2010s, the Trader Joe’s Chocolate Chip Sandwich Cookies boasted the perfect flavor profile for sweets and chocolate lovers.

The chocolate chip cookie had a delicious layer of fudge in the middle, and shoppers regularly paired the treat with milk for the perfect nostalgic snack.

Unfortunately, not everything good (or sweet and delicious) can last.

The cookies were removed from store aisles in 2021, but fans are still angry about their departure from stores.

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“It was criminal to discontinue these cookies,” one cookie lover wrote on Instagram upon hearing the news.

Another echoed the same outrage: “WHY HAVE THEY DONE THIS TO ME. DID MY DOCTOR CALL THEM?”

Yet another shared that the cookies were one of a few items that would compel them to wait in the long lines at their local Trader Joe’s store.

“NOOOOOOOOOOO, of the items that made me wait 30min to go in a TJ's during the past year. This is a tragedy,” another shopper said.

2. HONEY BUTTER POTATO CHIPS

Fans of both sweet and salty snacks constantly looked out for Trader Joe’s beloved Honey Butter Potato Chips.

They were the best of both worlds, with the sweetness of honey to accompany the salty crunch of your traditional potato chips.

While it’s been several years since 2018 when the Honey Butter Potato Chips last took up aisle space in stores, the chips clearly took a permanent space in fans’ hearts.

One fan went to Reddit to complain about the disappearance of “the best chips ever.”

Petitions have popped up in an effort to get the chips back in stores, but in the meantime, you can buy an alternative with a similar taste called Calbee Honey Butter Chips.

You can also make your own at home by adding some brown sugar, salt, honey, and butter to your typical potato chips.

3. SPICY CHEESE CRUNCHIES

Another chip-like snack variation that Trader Joe’s offered was the Spicy Cheese Crunchies.

The Spicy Cheese Crunchies were Trader Joe’s version of Cheetos, but shoppers loved them because they were entirely gluten-free and baked instead of fried.

Covered with a spicy cheese dust, the product boasted its “real cheddar cheese and a blend of savory spices” all without any artificial flavors or synthetic colors.

When customers discovered the fan favorite was missing at stores, they quickly went to the Internet to complain.

"I am so bummed to know this," one shopper wrote on Reddit in 2022.

The shopper added: "They were so good and now I'm just sad. Everything I love ends up being discontinued so my luck."

Another wrote: "Went to a TJs for the first time in a while today. The main reason was for these and I threw a melodramatic fit when I didn't see them on the shelves."

4. BARBECUE POPPED RIDGES

For those who enjoyed a barbecue chip, Trader Joe’s also had the perfect snack for you.

The Barbecue Popped Ridges were potato and corn puff snacks with a burst of tangy barbecue sauce.

Even customers who didn’t typically love barbecue were impressed by the unique snack.

“These chips are surprisingly good,” one customer said in an online review. “I’m really not a BBQ fan at all, including barbeque seasoned or flavored snacks. However, these are some of the best I’ve had.

“The taste isn’t too over the top, and as the package says it’s a ‘tangy’ rather than overly smokey barbeque flavor. They’re good enough to be a tasty snack, without being so addictive that it was tempting to eat too many at once.”

However, in 2021, when Trader Joe’s decided to get rid of the item for good, customers were shocked.

“I love these! They are soo good! Why would they be discontinued?” one shopper commented on Instagram.