Sweet-toothed Australians are lamenting the loss of Starburst sweets, with one TikTok user even labelling it a “conspiracy” that she couldn’t find them.
The confectionery business behind the missing Starburst variety, on the other hand, said that the brand had been discontinued in Australia.
Nariman Dein, from Sydney, expressed her disappointment on TikTok over not being able to obtain Starburst Snakes and Babies, which she described as the “greatest” sweets available. ‘Can someone tell me where these lollipops went?’ she inquired of her followers. ‘I’ve looked everywhere – Big W, Coles, you name it – and these lollies don’t exist.’
‘And I have a conspiracy theory: did they simply cease selling them and no one noticed?’
‘Please let me know if you know.’
Many of the over 1000 individuals who commented on the video bemoaned the disappearance of the Starburst assortment from store shelves.
‘There are literally no other sweets that compare to Starbusrt,’ one user said.
‘Oh my my, the babies were my favorite!!!!’
‘OK, I need to know where they went,’ wrote another. According to a spokesman for Mars Wrigley, which manufactures Starburst, the company no longer sells sweets in Australia.
Fruit Chews, Gummies, GummiBursts, Babies, lollipops, and Jellybeans are all part of the Starburst line.
After considering all possibilities, the firm stated it made the ‘painful choice’ to end the brand in June.
‘We examine our Mars Wrigley product line on a regular basis to ensure we’re delivering our customers fantastic taste goods that are also great value for money,’ said a spokesman.
‘Our Starburst goods are imported from Europe, and the brand, like many companies that import items from outside, has been vulnerable to supply chain challenges and increased cost pressures over the past two years,’ says the company.
Mars Wrigley said that it would focus on the brands it manufactures domestically.
‘As a proud Australian manufacturer for over 60 years, we are using this opportunity to prioritize and invest in the brands and products we create domestically in Australia, such as M&Ms, Maltesers, Skittles, Snickers, Extra, and Eclipse,’ said a spokeswoman.