Which changes in a product you’d liked have been the worst?

[Horsehow]

Just bought some Huggies wet wipes for the first time in a while. I use them to take makeup off, and they are the only wet wipe that are really effective. They’re thick and somehow really remove the dirt well. But they’ve changed and are now utterly, utterly shite. They’re thin and remove nothing. Why oh why do they do this? Do they not test the product in manufacturing and think ‘this is obviously a shit move’? So frustrating.

See also Ribena. Used to be a great occasional drink to soothe a sore throat, now it tastes of nothing but chemicals. Why do that?

Surely no one will buy the new Huggies Wet wipes? Surely only 10% of the old Ribena buyers still buy. What is the sense in this commercially?

Your theory is wrong. Food industry and especially Product research is fairly female dominated - doesn’t mean the results are pleasant.

Coco cola original recipe totally different to the stuff you get now. Like a different drink entirely.

Dove soap has shrunk, now made in Turkey. It's all white and mushy. I use Waitrose own unfragranced soap now.

Really? I didn't realise women own the large food conglomerates, like Unilever and Nestle.

L'Oreal Castings Hair Colour. They've just changed all the colour names, and also changed the formulations. They've gone from mostly 5 star reviews to almost all one star.

JusRoll Cinnamon Swirls used to be crisper , now doughy and not pleasant
Twiglets- taste of nothing
Ribena- yes it has changed
Jellytots - now they're vegan I can eat them (gelatin) , my DS won;t entertain them now "ruined , all spongey"

I put a lot of it down to Covid knackering my tastebuds but there's many things have changed sadly not for the better

So this.

Fizzy drinks should be an occasional treat. It's months between me having it, when I do I want it to taste good.

Sweetener is absolutely vile, I only have full sugar coca cola now.

Big food companies are generally not privately owned at all. CEOs and upper management aren’t making the decisions on which product reformulation gets launched. Not even remotely.
Upper management throws a tantrum if something performs badly, and celebrate their wisdom if it goes well. otherwise they sets goals (fat, sugar, salt reduction + costs). Fat, sugar, salt reduction is usually legislation based, cost is obviously finance (margins in food are tiny).
I worked for both Unilever and Nestle in product reformulation. It’s incredibly boring.

Givenchy organza, cacharel loulou and Vera Wang princess

Smarties - the sugar/niceness has been removed.

Waitrose soap is amazing!

Coca Cola was the best hangover cure. Rubbish now!

Smarties are revolting now.
Re Cadbury, somebody told me that the freddo frogs are still made in Ireland and they still taste good, like original Cadburys

That’s weird, I was expecting it to be crap but I haven’t noticed any difference!

i agree with those saying the sugar free sweeteners in pop etc. if I want sugar I want sugar, I don’t want yucky sweeteners.

Baxters were the best for tinned soups until they went gluten free - not just some choices but right across the range as far as I can see.
Just not the same.

I think this is the actual size of the original wagon wheel. I remember them being massive.

Quality Street is the most hollowly inappropriate brand name ever now for those current small sad pouches of putty and disappointment.

Cif bathroom cleaner spray. Used to have a lovely fresh smell, and great for limescale. Now it has a vile, sickly, cloying smell, reminds me of public toilets

I often wonder if the people who make the things feel embarrassed by how awful they are now?

I would never, in a million years admit that I was any kind of decision maker at Cadburys, Nestle, McVities, or any snack product from the last 20 years! I’d just feel too ashamed.

You were lied to about Freddos.

People always claim that the Irish cadburys tastes like the pre American crap, but it’s not true. It taste slightly different to UK but is nothing like dairy milk once was.

Glad you said that @BuffetTheDietSlayer because I agree. I had thought it was just me that felt that way. I've moved over to Black Magic now anyway.......those coffee creams by Whittakers that Iceland sell at Christmas....Ringtons coffee creams

Heinz macaroni cheese. Loved this in the 80s. But they changed recipe - i think - at some point in the 90s. I've been struggling with it ever since.

Butterscotch Angel Delight

Cadburys

Heinz tomato soup

Creamola Foam. I want 80s creamola foam back. Managed to get hold of some modern version of it. Possibly dodgy. Black market creamola foam. Not the same.

I was going to say Lemon Fanta too. Same as lemon lucozade which used to be lush and now tastes of fake sugar.
Lemon Fanta in Europe is still really good, as is Kas (oh holy drink of my Erasmus year, with gin ofc)

Well we've got one on this thread and according to her it's "boring".

No shit, pal.

Mokato latte sachets - absolutely dreadful

Toblerone!! One of my fave bars and The chocolate tastes horrible in it now, really fake chocolate taste, doesn't taste of chocolate at all