Tesco confirms it has discontinued selling cornflour due to "lack of customer demand"

[mandolinwind]

If you are going to be very inconvenienced by this decision please reply to the Twitter thread and tell Tesco what you use cornflour for in your kitchen:

twitter.com/croakinggoat/status/1592468320443592705

They often do this with popular products but they end up bringing it back some time later in different packaging, or lower weight most likely.

Surely loads of people buy cornflour. That’s annoying.

But, equally, Tesco must feel there isn’t demand. Maybe people just don’t buy cornflour in Tesco.

Yes, this has happened with their mint choc ices on a stick and several other products we regularly buy. For a while, there was no wholemeal bread on the bakery counter. This loaf, sliced and unsliced, was relaunched a few weeks later as "Hi Fibre" bread. No difference in ingredients that we could see.

However, I asked Tesco on Twitter via DM whether they could confirm if the current difficulties customers are experiencing with availability of cornflour is a temporary supply chain issue or if the product is not currently being stocked, for example, because the packaging is in the process of being redesigned or because the product weight is changing.

Their reply was that it is "has been discontinued due to lack of customer demand".

For years, they stocked tinned semolina and tinned sago pudding. Can't imagine they sold too many of those. Seems crazy to me to discontinue a staple product like cornflour.

We do a big C&C each week for a full week's shopping and their range of fresh turkey has diminished considerably. No diced turkey and no 7% fat turkey mince is now available in what it a very large Tesco store. This may be due to current bird flu problem but fed up seeing the range of products they sell online reducing.

I use cornflour, just so little of it that I purchase it every couple of years at most.

We use cornflour quite a lot as DD is GF so it is a very easy way of thickening sauces etc when usual wheat flour isn't possible.

I don't shop in tesco though - Sainsburys still has it (usually...)

Buttttt.... how will childrens groups make the non-newtonian fluid gloop (sometimes called ooblek) that kids love playing with?

It's the same with their thin bleach (the stuff that came in a white container and was like water in consistency and colour).

Thin bleach seems to have vanished everywhere

Can one just dilute thick bleach?

What a coincidence I had to ask a member of staff in tesco on the weekend where the cornflour was. She looked at the app thing and said that cornflour would not register. I guess it is off to Sainsbury's then this week.

I use it often but such a small amount that it lasts forever. Same with potato starch

Ocado never seem to have it in stock anymore either. I use it quite a lot as we use it in cookies etc. Massive pain in the arse not being able to buy it anywhere anymore.

Cornflour is something I can't imagine not having in, but as PP, I probably buy it every couple of years.

Yes, same here. My DD is gluten free due to coeliac disease so we use it loads.

I usually get it quite easily in Sainsburys or Asda

I buy 5 or 6 boxes a year.
This might be the final nail in the coffin for Tesco shopping. We have been flirting with other supermarkets recently.

But…..I don’t understand. How do people make white/cheese sauce if not with cornflour?!

I use cornflour but maybe a box every six months. It is a very useful thing to have in the cupboard though.

Also good for entertaining the kids when they were small with ooblek

That's mad, I always use cornflour for thickening gravy, and other sauces where you want a glossy finish. It's not what I would think of as a niche product. I guess a lot of people don't cook from scratch anymore.

I never use it in white or cheese sauce though! I make a roux with flour and butter

I use cornflour, just so little of it that I purchase it every couple of years at most.

Same, maybe once a year. But I do need it.

What can you use instead of cornflour?

I use a roux.

I like cornflour for thickening gravy, sauces, curries etc though.

I do use cornflour but I've never used it to make cheese sauce. Doesn't that start with a roux?

I mostly use it for thickening watery slow cooker dishes.

But sensory play and non Newontian Fluid! I always keep some for DD.

I would buy a packet of cheese or white sauce that would probably be cheaper than buying all of the ingredients and easier to make as well.

Its like Pesto. Who can be arsed making pesto when you can buy a jar from Asda for a quid?!