Frozen Foods That Completely Disappeared From The Shelves

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Whether you are shopping for vegetables, fully pre-made meals, or dessert, you can find just about everything in the frozen food aisles at your local grocery store. Some people may avoid the freezer section at all costs, opting instead for fresh ingredients and produce that contain less salt (though there are more healthier frozen options than you may realize). Others depend on frozen foods to stock up on items that can last for a really long time — and which definitely come in on those days you're pressed for time and energy when dinner rolls around.

Over the years, many brands have tried to capitalize on the convenience of frozen foods, offering a variety of appetizers, snacks, and entrees that only need a few minutes in the microwave. And there is definitely no shortage of frozen desserts at your local supermarket. With such steep competition happening in freezer sections worldwide, it's only natural that some products will rise to the occasion while others will fall short. All things must come to an end, and there are many frozen food products that have vanished off the shelves at some point over the years. Whether they are gone forever, or seem poised to triumphantly return like a phoenix from the ashes, we rounded up some popular frozen foods that have disappeared from the freezer aisle.

If you grew up in the 1990s, then there's a possibility your refrigerator was well stocked with this next frozen treat on our list. Nestlé began selling the cylindrical Push-Up sherbet treats back in the '80s (via Eighties Baby). Shortly after their debut, there was a major collaboration with a popular cartoon that will go down in dessert infamy. Flintstones Push-Up Sherbet Treats first came about in 1990 and lasted for several years, with on-brand flavors like Yabba Dabba Do Orange, Lime Rock Lime, and Bedrock Berry.

Flintstones Push-Up Sherbet Treats are sadly a thing of the past, nowhere to be found in the grocery store (via Thrillist). You can, however, still purchase Push-Up Pops today. If you keep your eyes peeled in the frozen food aisle, you may spot a variety pack that includes Cherry Blast, Turbo Grape, and Outrageous Orange – not nearly as cool sounding as the Flintstone varieties, but we'll take what we can get. Nestlé also advertises these Push-Up Pops on its website, but notably our favorite cartoon residents of Bedrock are missing. Sadly, do not expect to find the Flintstones version anywhere but in your memories.

Few breakfast items are as convenient as frozen waffles. Though there are many brands out there that sell their own version of the toaster-friendly treat, perhaps the reigning champ in terms of brand recognition is Eggo. The brand, owned by parent company Kellogg's, is responsible for producing a wide array of frozen waffles, from classic buttermilk and chocolate chip flavors, to various designs with popular cartoon characters. 

And for a while, Eggo offered a sweet and satisfying spin on its classic trademark product. In the early 2000s', the brand introduced Waf-Fulls, a frozen breakfast waffle with various fillings inside. Flavors included the usual suspects like strawberry and blueberry. According to one former consultant for Kellogg's, Waf-Fulls were discontinued after approximately eight years on the market (via USNA). Fans were understandably disappointed to see their favorite waffles vanish, and a petition has even emerged on Change.org where similarly let down customers can add their signature to hopefully one day resurrect the Eggo Waf-Fulls. Though Eggo has made it clear that it's probably not going to happen (via Facebook). 

When television became a focal point in the homes of more Americans throughout the 1950s, frozen prepared meals became the perfect accompaniment. However, the introduction of Swanson TV Dinners was less about the search for the perfect meal to eat while watching television than it was a correction for a surplus in Thanksgiving turkeys. The overabundance of poultry was repurposed into ready-made meals, and the rest is history (via Orlando Sentinel).

After the popularity of the turkey dinners took off, additional meals were introduced to the lineup during the '60s and '70s. Swanson became a household name, with one of the main selling points being that the meals were so easy to prepare that kids could make themselves something to eat while mom and dad went out for "real dinner." While Swanson TV Dinners do not exist on store shelves today, you may still be enjoying Swanson meals without realizing it. According to Orlando Sentinel, the Swanson TV Dinner brand was retired, but the products themselves were re-labeled as Hungry Man, which is still sold in grocery stores to this day.

While Swanson TV Dinners provided parents with a quick and convenient meal option for the entire family when they were introduced, the products were not necessarily marketed for kids. Then, starting around the 1970s, Libbyland TV Dinners hit the shelves and gave kids their own option when it came to frozen meals (via TV Dinners Fandom). The brand even had its own cowboy-themed mascot, Libby the Kid. And each meal came with colorful crystals that could change the color of your glass of milk. There were various themed dinners available for purchase, inspired by pirates, safaris, and deep sea diving.

Libbyland TV Dinners did not have a very long lifespan, only lasting on the market until 1976, according to Long Island 70s Kid. The meals clearly had all of the traits of a product that could be marketed to children, but ultimately it was up to the parents — those with buying power — to decide what foods were added to their grocery carts.

Growing up in the 1990s meant that you probably tried some unique food and drink items as a kid, like Dunkaroos, Dippin' Dots, and Fruitopia. Another staple in many '90s kids' freezers were Kid Cuisine meals. Everything from the bright blue microwavable tray, to the penguin mascot, to the brownie that may or may not have been actual food all culminated in the Kid Cuisine experience. The Kid Cuisine craze continued past the '90s and into the 2000s and even the 2010s — and to this day it is still available in grocery stores.

However, not every frozen meal that you grew up with is included in the brand's current lineup. Kid Cuisine once sold a Friends Forever Mac and Cheese meal inspired by the hit cartoon "Spongebob Squarepants," which was a big hit among many customers. However, this particular meal has been discontinued, along with other Kid Cuisine varieties that have come and gone over the years, including the Constructor Beef Patty Sandwich and All-American Fried Chicken. In fact, a quick trip to the Kid Cuisine website will show only three meals currently listed: All Star Nuggets, Popcorn Chicken, and Mini Corn Dogs. But don't worry, the questionable brownies are included with all three varieties.

As an fan probably knows, Trader Joe's has been known to allow fans to fall in love with certain items, only for those items to be discontinued before those fans have any time to stock up on their beloved favorites. This was true yet again in the case of Trader Joe's Cheese-Less Cheesecake. The vegan dessert was made with a base of lima beans instead of any dairy products, and reviews were mixed. While some complained that the taste of this dessert wasn't very strong, Freezer Meal Frenzy pointed out that, despite it being a vegan dessert, it still had many of the characteristics one would look for in a typical cheesecake.

The cheesecakes did amass a cult following, with shoppers voicing their disappointment on Reddit at the news that the item was discontinued. Not only did they lose out on a tasty dessert, but vegans and those avoiding dairy products were back at square one when looking for a sweet dairy-free treat.