18 Vintage Canned Foods And Drinks That Are (Sadly) No Longer Around
Remember when opening the pantry felt like stepping into a flavorful adventure? Growing up in the 80s, my grandma’s kitchen shelves were packed with brightly colored cans and boxes that promised exciting, sometimes bizarre, taste experiences.
There were space-age puddings, neon-colored drinks, and cartoon-themed pastas that made every meal feel like a special event. These quirky, now-forgotten foodstuffs weren’t just about filling your belly—they were about fun, imagination, and a little bit of magic in every bite.
Let’s take a nostalgic stroll down the supermarket aisles of yesteryear and rediscover these charming culinary time capsules from a deliciously unforgettable era.
1. Space Food Sticks
Astronaut food in my lunchbox? Yes please! Space Food Sticks were my elementary school status symbol. These chewy, chocolate-flavored cylinders came individually wrapped in foil and promised to deliver the same nutrition NASA’s finest enjoyed while orbiting Earth.
Pillsbury launched these cosmic treats in the late 1960s during America’s space race obsession. The commercials claimed they were ‘developed for the astronauts,’ though I’m pretty sure Neil Armstrong wasn’t munching these between moonwalks.
My friends and I would pretend we were floating in zero gravity while enjoying these dense, fudgy sticks. Though technically not canned, they came in those iconic cylindrical packages that made them feel space-age special.
2. Jell-O 1-2-3
Magic happened in our kitchen whenever Mom prepared Jell-O 1-2-3. This miraculous powder transformed into three distinct layers when prepared – a clear jelly bottom, a mousse-like middle, and a light whipped topping. All from one package!
General Foods introduced this tri-layered wonder in 1969, and it remained on shelves until the mid-1990s. The science behind it fascinated me – the different densities separated during refrigeration, creating that perfect stratification without any extra work.
Served in clear glasses to showcase its tricolor glory, this dessert made regular weeknight dinners feel fancy. I’d carefully spoon through each layer, savoring the textural journey from firm to fluffy.
3. Squeezit Colored Ketchup
Purple ketchup on french fries? Absolutely revolutionary to my 9-year-old mind! Heinz EZ Squirt burst onto the scene in 2000 with its wild colors that transformed ordinary meals into extraordinary experiences. The green, purple, and blue varieties made my plain hamburgers look like alien cuisine.
The taste remained classic Heinz, but the visual shock value was worth every penny of my allowance money. Parents nationwide cringed as their perfectly good chicken nuggets got doused in teal condiment.
My mom drew the line when I tried painting my mashed potatoes with multiple colors. These vibrant bottles disappeared by 2006, victims of changing food trends that favored natural ingredients over artificial fun.
4. Chef Boyardee Pac-Man Pasta
Lunchtime became game time when Chef Boyardee Pac-Man pasta hit our pantry! Those little yellow Pac-Men and colorful ghosts swimming in tomato sauce made eating fun in a way today’s kids might not understand. Each can contained a treasure trove of pasta shapes based on the arcade sensation.
Released in the early 1980s during the height of Pac-Man fever, these canned pasta shapes capitalized on video game mania. The commercials featured the iconic ‘wakka-wakka’ sound effects that had me begging Mom to add it to her shopping cart.
While the pasta itself tasted like standard Chef Boyardee fare, the thrill of chasing ghosts with my spoon made it exceptional. Finding a perfect, unbroken Pac-Man shape was the ultimate victory.
5. Hi-C Ecto Cooler
Slimer from Ghostbusters didn’t just haunt the big screen – he slimed his way into our juice boxes! Hi-C Ecto Cooler, with its vibrant green color and tangy citrus flavor, was the coolest thing in my lunchbox during the late 80s and early 90s.
Originally launched in 1987 as a tie-in with The Real Ghostbusters cartoon, this neon nectar outlived the show’s popularity by more than a decade. The taste was supposedly tangerine-flavored, but let’s be honest – it tasted like liquid childhood happiness with a hint of whatever makes green things green.
My mom limited me to one can per day, claiming the bright color couldn’t be natural. She wasn’t wrong, but that supernatural glow was part of its charm!
6. Keebler Magic Middles
Cookie inception! Keebler Magic Middles were the Russian nesting dolls of the cookie world – shortbread cookies with chocolate or peanut butter filling magically sealed inside. Breaking one open revealed the perfect pocket of gooey goodness that made after-school snacking an adventure.
The Keebler elves introduced these treats in the late 1980s, and they quickly became pantry staples. The TV commercials showed the elves using actual magic to get the filling inside, and honestly, I’m still not convinced there wasn’t sorcery involved.
My grandmother always kept them in a special cookie jar shaped like a hollow tree. The cookies disappeared from shelves in the mid-1990s, leaving a chocolate-filled void that countless online petitions have failed to resurrect.
7. Campbell’s Pepper Pot Soup
Grandpa’s favorite lunch was always a steaming bowl of Campbell’s Pepper Pot Soup. This Philadelphia-inspired concoction featured tripe, vegetables, and black peppercorns in a rich broth that warmed you from the inside out. The distinctive red and white can was a fixture in his pantry for decades.
Dating back to the Revolutionary War, the original pepper pot soup was supposedly created by George Washington’s chef to nourish troops at Valley Forge. Campbell’s version became one of their original 21 varieties when the company launched in 1899.
Despite its long history, changing tastes led to its discontinuation in 2010. Grandpa stockpiled his final cans like they were precious artifacts, rationing them for special occasions until his last can was ceremoniously consumed on his 90th birthday.
8. Carnation Breakfast Bars
Before protein bars took over every checkout lane, Carnation Breakfast Bars ruled the on-the-go morning meal scene. These chewy rectangles of oats, chocolate, and mysterious nutrients promised ‘the complete nutrition of a complete breakfast’ in portable form.
Launched in the 1970s and popular through the 1980s, these bars came in chocolate chip, peanut butter, and caramel flavors. My dad kept boxes in his car for what he called ’emergency breakfast situations’ – which somehow occurred nearly every morning during our commute to school.
Unlike modern health bars with ingredient lists touting ancient grains and superfoods, these simple bars made no pretense about being anything other than convenient. They vanished from shelves in the early 1990s, leaving commuters to find new dashboard dining options.
9. PB Max
Peanut butter perfection came in a square package called PB Max. This heavenly creation consisted of a crunchy whole grain cookie topped with creamy peanut butter and encased in milk chocolate. It was like someone engineered the ideal ratio of sweet, salty, and crunchy elements.
Mars introduced this masterpiece in 1989, and it quickly became a $50 million success. Legend has it that the Mars family discontinued it in the mid-90s because they personally disliked peanut butter – the greatest candy tragedy of my childhood!
I’d save my allowance to buy these treats from the corner store, carefully unwrapping each one to make it last longer. No modern candy bar has managed to capture that perfect textural combination that made PB Max so uniquely satisfying.
10. Planter’s Cheez Balls
Opening that iconic blue canister of Planter’s Cheez Balls released a puff of cheese-scented air that announced snack time had officially begun! These perfectly spherical, neon-orange cheese puffs left evidence of indulgence on fingers and furniture alike.
Introduced in the 1980s, these airy, crunchy balls became the signature party snack of my childhood. The mascot Mr. Peanut seemed an odd choice for a cheese product, but no one questioned his authority in the snack realm.
The satisfying pop of the plastic lid became Pavlovian – my siblings and I would come running from all corners of the house at the sound. When they disappeared from shelves in 2006, a piece of snacking history went with them (though they briefly returned in 2018 to much fanfare).
11. Nabisco Swiss Cheese Crackers
Cheese-flavored crackers with actual holes? Nabisco Swiss Cheese crackers were the quirky snack that took literal inspiration from their dairy namesake. These rectangular crackers featured randomly placed holes that mimicked Swiss cheese, along with a sharp, distinctive flavor that put regular cheese crackers to shame.
Appearing in the 1980s, these crispy treats came in a red box that stood out in the cracker aisle. The commercials featured animated Swiss cheese slices transforming into crackers, which my young mind found absolutely captivating.
My grandma always served these alongside her homemade vegetable soup. The crackers disappeared without fanfare sometime in the 1990s, leaving Cheez-Its and Goldfish to battle for cheese cracker supremacy without their holey competitor.
12. Pudding Roll-Ups
Fruit Roll-Ups’ lesser-known cousin – Pudding Roll-Ups – brought the impossible to our lunchboxes: pudding in a non-liquid form! These thin, flexible sheets came rolled up like their fruit counterparts but delivered creamy chocolate, vanilla, or butterscotch pudding flavors in a portable, mess-free format.
General Mills introduced this innovative snack in the early 1990s, and I remember the first time I unrolled one on the playground to collective gasps from my friends. The texture was somewhere between fruit leather and a Fruit Roll-Up, but with that unmistakable pudding flavor.
My mom appreciated that they didn’t spill like pudding cups. These revolutionary treats vanished after just a few years, perhaps too ahead of their time for conventional pudding enthusiasts.
13. Coca-Cola BlāK
Coffee-infused cola in a sleek black bottle? Coca-Cola BlāK was the sophisticated caffeine fix that briefly made me feel like an international sophisticate in 2006. This curious fusion beverage combined the familiar cola taste with coffee essences, creating something neither coffee nor cola but intriguingly both.
Launched as a premium product in those fancy 8-ounce glass bottles, BlāK targeted adult consumers looking for an upscale energy boost. The marketing described it as ‘an effervescent fusion beverage’ – fancy talk for fizzy coffee-cola.
I splurged on these during late-night study sessions in college. At around $2 per bottle, they were a luxury that promised double the caffeine kick. By 2008, they’d disappeared from shelves, apparently ahead of the coffee-cola trend that would later return with other products.
14. Heinz Celery Soup
Grandma swore by Heinz Condensed Cream of Celery Soup for her famous casseroles. This pale green concoction – chock full of celery bits suspended in creamy broth – was the secret ingredient that made her tuna noodle bake the talk of every family gathering.
Heinz produced this British pantry staple for decades before quietly discontinuing it in the early 2000s. Unlike its American counterpart made by Campbell’s (which still exists), the Heinz version had a distinctive flavor profile that loyal fans insist cannot be replicated.
When we learned it was being discontinued, Grandma sent me to every supermarket within driving distance to stockpile cans. Her final can was ceremoniously used for Christmas dinner 2007, marking the end of a family recipe that had remained unchanged for three generations.
15. Libby’s Fruit Float
Summer afternoons meant the magical sound of a can opener revealing Libby’s Fruit Float – a curious concoction of fruit cocktail suspended in flavored gelatin. This ready-to-eat treat didn’t require refrigeration until opened, making it the perfect pantry surprise for hot days.
Introduced in the 1960s, Fruit Float came in several varieties including strawberry, orange, and my personal favorite – blue raspberry. The fruit pieces truly appeared to be floating in the semi-transparent gelatin, creating a visually appealing snack that fascinated my childhood self.
My grandmother always kept a few cans hidden for special occasions. Opening one revealed that distinctive ‘plop’ sound as the gelatin cylinder slid intact from the can. By the late 1980s, they had disappeared, replaced by refrigerated cups that never captured the same charm.
16. Pepsi Blue
Berry-flavored blue cola? Pepsi Blue crashed into the early 2000s like a sugary tidal wave of electric-colored rebellion. This berry-infused cola concoction glowed with an unnatural azure hue that looked more like window cleaner than something you’d willingly consume.
Launched in 2002 to target the ‘Mountain Dew generation,’ this vivid beverage tasted like someone had melted blue cotton candy into Pepsi. The commercials featured extreme sports and punk bands, positioning it as the beverage choice for nonconformists.
My middle school principal eventually banned it after too many blue tongue incidents during class. Sales never met expectations, and by 2004 it had vanished from American shelves, though it maintained cult status in international markets before occasional limited returns.
17. Hershey’s Bar None
Chocolate wafers, chocolate cream, crushed peanuts, and chocolate coating – Hershey’s Bar None was a textural masterpiece that deserved better than its untimely demise. This candy bar hit shelves in 1987 with a distinctive yellow wrapper and quickly developed a devoted following.
The original slogan ‘the chocolate wafer bar that beats the hunger out of you’ made big promises that, surprisingly, it actually kept. The combination of crunch from wafers and peanuts with smooth chocolate created a satisfying experience unlike any other candy bar.
My dad would bring one home every Friday as a weekend treat. Hershey’s reformulated it in 1992 to add caramel and split it into two fingers, but this change led to declining sales and eventual discontinuation in 1997.
18. Franco-American Macaroni & Cheese
Before microwaveable cups took over, Franco-American Macaroni & Cheese in a can was the ultimate bachelor food – and my father’s specialty when Mom worked late. This ready-to-heat pasta came swimming in an unnaturally orange cheese sauce that somehow tasted exactly like childhood should.
Campbell Soup Company produced this under their Franco-American line starting in the 1960s. The commercials featured the catchy ‘Franco-American Macaroni & Cheese, it’s the creamiest!’ jingle that would get stuck in your head for days.
Dad would ceremoniously pour it into a pot, add extra pepper (his ‘secret ingredient’), and serve it alongside hot dogs cut to look like octopuses. By the early 2000s, it had disappeared, leaving Kraft’s boxed version to reign supreme in the mac and cheese kingdom.