It’s the end of an era. The last packets of some of New Zealand’s most iconic cereals have officially rolled off the Sanitarium production line for the very last time.
Sanitarium broke the news last year that Honey Puffs, Muesli, Clusters, Granola, Light n Tasty, Weeties and Puffed Wheat were all getting axed due to declining demand. And now, it’s done.
The company wrapped up production of the cereals at the end of May, so whatever you see on the shelves is the last of it.
“It was bittersweet to see the last packets roll off the production line,” Sanitarium NZ general manager Michael Barton told NZ Herald.
“After commencing production of these lines, in some cases, over 80 years ago, our team has just completed the final production of these once family favourites,” he added.
Safe to say, some Kiwis are NOT taking it well.
“BOOOO. Toasted muesli was the shit," one Reddit user wrote.
Another said: “I knew it was coming, but for the crime of removing my Honey Puffs, Sanitarium must go out of business!”
“Have had Light N Tasty since I was a student, so over thirty years. Surprised it lacked demand to continue," a third commented.
Someone else passionately typed: “NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO, I haven't eaten Honey Puffs in decades because sugar, but they were so DELICIOUS.”
Sanitarium has pumped out more than 1.8 million tonnes of muesli and cereal products in the past year alone - but despite the huge number, the products were still on the decline.
Barton reckons Kiwi breakfast habits are just changing. He says over 20% of Kiwis now go for something other than a cereal to kick off the day.
"The breakfast market is changing, and we have seen a global move away from some cereal formats," he said.
“Coupled with the cost of investment in buildings and equipment to sustain production, it is more viable for us to shift resources to productions of other consumer favourites.”
Luckily, we’re not saying goodbye to all of our Sanitarium faves - Skippy Cornflakes, Ricies, UP&GO, Weet-Bix and Marmite are still continuing on.
But still… RIP to a bunch of the sweet morning feeds.
