Taste and smell are integral parts of memory-making, and when either of those things fails to match up to the memories made early on in life, it can be quite disappointing.
Whether it is a coffee ingredient that has been reformulated or a hot sauce recipe change, customers notice when their favorite items are altered, and they are less than happy about it.
One recent Safeway shopper says she was taken off guard by the taste of some seasonal Ghirardelli chocolate. In a video posted to TikTok that has drawn over 24,000 views as of Tuesday morning, Brooklyn (@brooklyndababe) says the chocolates she previously regarded as the best available simply do not taste how she remembers them.
“Did something happen to Ghirardelli Chocolate?” she asks viewers. “I was at Safeway and I saw this bag, it was $3.99 for the fall assortment. I was like, $3.99? That’s crazy, that seems too good to be true. That is a lot of snackage for not a lot of dollarage.”
Brooklyn then reveals that after trying 2 of the chocolates, she was wildly disappointed.
“I got it because Ghirardelli used to be good, as far as I remember,” she shares. “And I’ve had two out of this. I’m literally not going to have a single more.”
She says she used to consider the chocolate the “creme de la creme” of what was available to her, and she will likely give the chocolate away to avoid wasting it.
“This is sh*t chocolate,” Brooklyn says in the video. “Did something happen? Because I remember Ghirardelli was the creme de la creme, at least in my circles. I wouldn’t give this to my worst enemy. Honestly, I probably will pawn it off on people because I don’t want to throw it out, but that’s just my environmental guilt. People don’t deserve to eat this.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to Brooklyn via TikTok direct message as well as to Ghirardelli via email regarding the video.
Several viewers said they had noticed similar patterns with their favorite snacks, even suggesting that manufacturers were choosing to use less costly ingredients, cheapening the flavor.
@brooklyndababe Disappointed isnt the word #ghirardelli #ghiradellichocolatesquares #dissapointed #foodtok #foodreview #sweettooth #chocolate #caramel ♬ original sound – Brooklyn
“A LOT of food is like this these days,” one commenter wrote. “They keep finding ways to cheapen production and raise prices at the same time. I’m sick of it.”
“Back at Halloween I sampled the candy I put out for kids and tiny milkyways/tiny reeses cups/etc have never been top tier but they tasted really cheap,” another said.
“It’s happening with EVERYTHING,” a further user wrote. “I got oreos the other day and they just aren’t the same. Using cheaper ingredients.”
Others shared potential alternatives to Ghirardelli that might be comparable to the flavor she remembers from her youth.
“It may not be believable but Aldi has really nice chocolate,” one commenter wrote.
“Lindt chocolate is good,” another commented.
“I gave up on American chocolate,” an additional viewer said. “Try Japanese Meiji chocolate bar…$1.99…not to sweet and so smooth.”