Nestlé axes classic Breakaway bar after 54 years

Once a staple of school lunchboxes, the classic Breakaway bar has been axed by maker Nestlé.

The chocolate biscuit bar was launched in 1970 but Nestle said it had made the "difficult decision" to discontinue it after a decline in sales.

The company also said it was axing the Yorkie Biscuit bar, not to be confused with the Yorkie chocolate bar, which is "staying for good".

Fans on social media mourned the end of the road for Breakaway.

"Not happy, in fact incandescent," said one.

However, many also admitted to not having bought one in years.

"I was a bit sad about Breakaway being axed until I remembered that I haven't had one since the 80s," one man said.

Breakaway will no longer be produced from March, Nestlé said, to make way for investment across other products.

"We know fans will be disappointed to see it go, but it's time for us to say goodbye to Breakaway," a Nestlé spokesperson said.

"We have seen a decline in the sales of Breakaway over the past few years and unfortunately, we had to make the difficult decision to discontinue it."

The spokesperson added that the company had plenty of new products lined up for 2024, adding: "Watch this space."

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"I'm shocked," said Caroline Job, the woman behind the YouTube channel Lunchbox World. "I love Breakaway."

But she notes that Nestlé is currently promoting a range of new KitKat flavours, which may have eaten into Breakaway's share of the market.

Ms Job is all for including a small treat in a child's packed lunch, notwithstanding the concerns around obesity.

"What I like about Breakaway is that it's a small portion-controlled item," she said. You could fill the hole left by the Breakaway with a mini-gingerbread man, little pancakes or mini-rice cakes.

Richard Caines, chief food and drink analyst with market research company Mintel, said cost-of-living pressures could be making people reach for chocolate and biscuits as an "affordable treat" helping to keep sales up generally.

But hard-pressed shoppers would be likely to look at own-brand products, particularly at the discounters, like Aldi and Lidl, rather than sticking to the big brands, he said.

And while nostalgia would persuade some people to keep buying a bar like Breakaway, it would of course not work for younger customers.

"Younger consumers, who are the ones who snack the most frequently, are keen on trying new products. They very much like trying new flavours," he said.

Breakaway was originally launched by Rowntree Mackintosh in 1970, which was then acquired by Nestlé in 1988.

The bar is just the latest old school sweet treat to be shelved by Nestlé. Last year, it announced that it would discontinue its Caramac bar after more than 60 years.

Like Breakaway, fans of the caramel bar said they were "devastated" by Nestlé's decision. One person on X, formerly known as Twitter, lamented: "Rest in peace Caramac."