LIDL shoppers have been left gutted after a fizzy fermented drink was discontinued.
Punters were left distraught after the German retailer, which has over 960 UK branches, confirmed it has discontinued its kombucha range.
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A disgruntled customer who had traipsed to multiple stores searching for the gut-friendly tipple begged the supermarket giant to bring it back.
Abbey Proctor wrote on X: “Why has the kombucha been discontinued?
“It was sooo good! We need it back!”
The store replied: “Hey! Sorry about this. What store do you shop at and we will pass this on to see if we can get it back to you?”
Abbey responded that she shops in Sheffield Road, Chesterfield, and the nearby Chatsworth Road store but had been informed by staff that it had been discontinued.
Catching up with the fate of its own product, Lidl confirmed that the fermented tea drink had been discontinued.
Anita wrote on the @LidlGB X account: “The item is discontinued at the moment, but we will pass your interest in this product onto our Buying Team to see if we can get it back ASAP.”
Fans of the drink had enthusiastically reviewed the drink as packing a “pungent” punch, in a good way, “good value” and “very kombucha-ery.”
This latest blow to Lidl fans comes after shoppers were repeatedly frustrated when other fan favorites were axed last year.
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The cronut, branded “amazing” by multiple shoppers on X, caused an uproar when it disappeared from the shelves last August.
Shoppers were also dismayed when the Elderflower Mexican Lime was discontinued.
Booze fans claimed it was the perfect pairing with summery spirits.
The bacteria and probiotics in Kombucha support your gut microbiome, streamlining your digestive and immune functions. It has even been linked to improved mental health.
The drink is beloved by Kourtney Kardashian, who adds a cheeky splash of tequila on her website, Poosh.
It has even been claimed that it helps “blast fat stores” and puts your body in a fasted state even if you’ve just gobbled you’re lunch.
A small study found that the fizzy fermented drink, which contains live micro-organisms, can help lower blood sugar levels in diabetics.
Other benefits potentially include cholesterol management and combatting vitamin deficiencies such as B12 many Brits a low on.
More than five million Brits live with type 2 diabetes.
Why are products axed or recipes changed?
ANALYSIS by chief consumer reporter James Flanders.
Food and drinks makers have been known to tweak their recipes or axe items altogether.
They often say that this is down to the changing tastes of customers.
There are a number of reasons why this could be done.
For example, government regulation, like the “sugar tax,” forces firms to change their recipes.
Some manufacturers might choose to tweak ingredients to cut costs.
They may opt for an alternative that’s cheaper, especially when costs are rising in order to keep prices stable.
For example, Tango Cherry disappeared from shelves in 2018.
It has recently returned after six years away, but as a sugar-free version.
Fanta removed sweetener from its sugar-free alternative earlier this year.
Suntory tweaked the flavour of its flagship Lucozade Original and Orange energy drinks.
While the amount of sugar in every bottle remains unchanged, the supplier swapped out the sweetener aspartame for sucralose.