A pizza popped in a toaster, a sad day for Canadians,
and a strong desire for DiGiorno over delivery. Gone but not forgotten,
these are discontinued frozen pizzas we wish would make a comeback.
February 2019 was a sad month indeed for people who had been
enjoying Jeno's [JEE-noze] Crisp 'N Tasty Pizzas over the years.
"Jeno's? I didn't know they made a frozen pizza."
"It's right there in the freezer section."
That was when Totino's, which is one of General Mills' frozen pizza brands,
made a Twitter announcement that Jeno's Crisp 'N Tasty pizzas had been discontinued. Jeno's
had some of the cheapest pizzas around and the Crisp 'N Tasty variety was especially
satisfying for many. Totino's went on to say that it would pass everyone's
disappointment on to the powers that be at the company, but it appeared to be a
hollow promise and there was diminished hope that the pizza would ever be back.
Some on Twitter said they wished it had been Totino's Crisp Crust Party
Pizzas that had been discontinued, since Jeno's wasn't as greasy as the other. But,
alas, the ban had fallen on Jeno's instead. The nostalgia for the pizza was strong, and they were
even once a treat you could even pick up at Dollar Tree. Unfortunately, Jeno's of any variety are no
longer for sale. These days, the closest you can get are Totino's Party Pizzas for just under $2.
Buitoni Instant Pizzas probably have the biggest fan following of any discontinued pizza,
though it's been a long time since they graced the shelves of your local grocery
store. These mini toaster pizzas from the 1970s and 1980s look more like a fully
enclosed calzone than a pizza, but the fact that they were flat and perfectly
enclosed allowed you to warm them up in the toaster as opposed to using the oven.
The Buitoni company still exists, but it seems to
have shifted its focus to other products like pasta, ravioli, tortellini, sauces,
and shredded cheese. Buitoni has responded to customer feedback from the many people who
still long for its instant toaster pizzas. However, nothing has come from it so far.
Nestlé Canada has made the decision to cut a large number of its products in Canada,
especially an array of frozen foods that include Stouffer's products, Lean Cuisines,
and Delissio Pizza. That's in part because Kraft Foods sold both the DiGiorno and Delissio pizza
brands to Nestlé in 2010. Had they not, there's a chance you could still get Delissio in Canada.
That's because, as of now, Nestlé Canada is focusing on selling only Canadian-made goods
from its brands. Unfortunately, this means that imported Delissio is out. Now that Stouffer's,
Lean Cuisine, and Delissio are gone, the only frozen goods the company plans to continue
selling is ice cream, and this may be the one instance where ice cream just doesn't cut it.
Shipping prices drove the price of products higher than locally-made ones. People just
weren't buying it as often at close to $7 when it had once been closer to a $3 pizza. So,
someone will be profiting from this decision. It just won't be Canadian Delissio fans.
"My children would have died without Delissio pizzas."
There are many benefits to living in Canada. Unfortunately, the lack of Bagel Bites pizza
snacks is not one of them. Since late 2022, it's been just about impossible
to find Bagel Bites pizza snacks there after they were discontinued. Fans begged
the company to bring the pizza snacks back, but such efforts seem to have done nothing.
Fans of the product were shocked and demanded to know why the company did
this when Bagel Bites were often sold out because of huge demand,
but answers weren't forthcoming. Increasing shipping costs may have contributed to the issue,
though with little information, it's hard to make conclusions.
There is a small ray of hope:
if you happen to live in one of the few Canadian cities with a Sam's Club,
you can buy a bulk box of Member's Mark Mini Pizza Bagels there. They're cheaper per bagel,
but some don't think they compare in flavor. And if you're a U.S. Bagel Bites fan, you don't have
anything to worry about. Bagel Bites are only gone from Canadian freezer aisles as of now.
When it comes to vegan pizzas, we must admit that these products can be hit or miss. After all,
not every vegan cheese is on the same level as dairy cheese. So,
when a vegan or dairy-intolerant person can find a good pizza, they tend to stick with it.
Tofutti Pizza Pizzazz was just such a product, at least according to its fans. It was rectangular,
bringing to mind pizza slices that fit perfectly in a school cafeteria tray. The cheese alternative
was actually not very melty and may not have tasted like the real thing, but it wasn't all
that different from cheap dairy cheese pizzas that had similar melting issues. One of the main draws
of this pizza was that it was satisfying. Between the crisp crust and the fatty cheese-type product,
it didn't leave you feeling like you were missing an important part of your meal.
Back in the day, you could purchase small packs of this pizza for a relatively affordable price. You
could even find it at the regular grocery store rather than at expensive specialty stores like
Whole Foods. But, alas, the Tofutti brand has turned away from their beloved pizza product,
and now they only sell non-dairy cheeses, sour cream, dips, ice cream, and ice cream treats.
Currently, the DiGiorno brand produces close to 60 types of pizza, so it stands that a product
from the lineup has to be extra-special to be missed. Enter the DiGiorno garlic bread pizza.
Its claim to fame was its namesake garlic-butter crust, which had that little extra something that
brought it up from the level of an ordinary pizza. Yet DiGiorno announced on Twitter that the pizza
was officially discontinued in March 2021. Unlike some products that phase in and out of production,
DiGiorno said it didn't plan to return its Garlic Bread Pizzas to its product line.
If you buy a DiGiorno pizza today, you can easily find one with a thin crust,
crispy pan crust, stuffed crust, croissant crust, hand-tossed crust,
rising crust, and even a gluten-free crust. Other than the gluten-free crust,
all of the current varieties seem to focus on texture rather than flavor.
Fans looking for a frozen pizza with a garlic bread crust may be able to
find Tombstone garlic bread pepperoni pizza in their local grocery store,
but many argue that the competition simply doesn't have the same taste as DiGiorno.