Has Caramac been discontinued? Nestle confirms the iconic bar has been scrapped

Recent rumours have left many wanting to know if Caramac has been discontinued.

First developed in 1956, Caramac might not be one of the healthiest chocolate bars out there, but it's one of those retro chocolate bars that hold fond memories for many. 

However, one Scottish bakery has inadvertently gone viral after breaking the news that the caramel-flavoured bar is being discontinued, and shoppers want to know if the rumours are true. Here's what we know...

Has Caramac been discontinued?

Caramac's owner, Nestle, has confirmed that Caramac is being discontinued. Nestle broke the news on X (the platform formerly known as Twitter) when replying to a fan who asked for clarification about the rumours.

Nestle UK & Ireland replied to the user, saying, "Sorry to have to give you disappointing news, unfortunately Caramac has been discontinued from our range."

Rumours that Caramac was being discontinued first arose on 6 November, when Pastel, a bakery in Newtongrange, near Edinburgh shared the news on Facebook. 

"So it's a sad day, it's official, there will be no more Caramac bars off the production line, it's been cancelled," the bakery wrote. It added, "So I bought as many as I could! These should last a while (I hope) but once they are gone, there will be no more Caramac eclairs!"

After the post blew up, with fans desperate to know if the rumour was true, Pastel added a comment clarifying how it had come to find out the information. It said, "We were advised by our wholesaler a good couple of months ago and have been hoarding stock for the official announcement, which wholesalers were given last week". 

The post has attracted thousands of like and comments, with fans of the chocolate bar writing that the news is "so sad" and that they're "gutted". One fan wrote under the post "end of an era", while several others added that they "need to stock up" on the bar. 

Why has Caramac been discontinued?

Caramac has been discontinued due to low sales, according to an email from Nestle to Pastel.

The bakery added a screenshot of an email – that appeared to be from Nestle – to the comments of its post after following of fake news. 

The email read, "Unfortunately we had to withdraw Caramac from our range as sales were relatively low. It was a difficult decision for us because we're proud of all our products and don't like to disappoint our consumers."

Caramac was launched 64 years ago in 1959, and was initially produced at the Mackintosh factory in Norwich before moving production to Newcastle in 1996, where the iconic bar was made up until now. 

The name Caramac is a combination of 'Caramel' and 'Mackintosh' and was determined in a competition held by the factory.

Can you still buy Caramac bars?

At the moment, you can still buy Caramac bars. But if you want to get your hands on the confectionary before it's gone for good you'll need to be quick, as there are already reports of stockpiling.

Pastel Bakery confessed they have stocked up on 12 boxes of Caramac bars, while one follower joked on the Facebook post, "Hope this is true cos I've just been and bought 20 boxes. So if it's fake news I'm sending Pastel the bill".

• Buy Caramac Caramel Chocolate Bar Multipack - £1.25 | Iceland

Caramac alternatives

• McVitie's Gold - £1.75 | Ocado
• M&S Golden Blond Chocolate - £1 | Ocado
• Cadbury's Caramilk - £1.50 | Sainsbury's

In other food news, M&S has revealed a fresh take on their Colin the Caterpillar cake and McVities is launching a new Jaffa Cake flavour.