Wegmans is abandoning WPOP, its 33-year-old store-brand soda, due to concerns about aspartame and high fructose corn syrup.
The Rochester, New York-based grocery company had a 43% termination discount on the beverage, lowering the price of a two-liter bottle to $0.56. The relocation affects all Wegmans locations nationwide.
Wegmans' customer comment says artificial ingredients don't fulfill "Food You Feel Good About" guidelines. They've made the difficult decision to discontinue Wegman's Soda.
They provide amazing meals to help clients live healthier, better lives. One Coke is fine, but two or three a day may induce "some gastric distress, some gas, some unpleasant bowel movements" and migraines.
Customers are expecting a split reaction. On Facebook, one user wrote "BRING BACK WPOP!!!!" in all caps. Another praised the move to remove artificial additives from retailers, hoping to see more of this across the U.S.
Wegmans is dedicated to "Helping people live healthier, better lives through exceptional food." Unsurprisingly, none of its dietitians like WPOP by Wegmans.
Not only WPOP fails to deliver on its feel-good promise. Wegmans pancake syrup contains corn syrup. The FDA-approved artificial sweetener sucralose is in the brand's no-sugar ice creams.
Wegmans isn't mentioning any upcoming products as potentially discontinued, but they fall beyond its "Food You Feel Good About" umbrella.