marmite peanut butter unsplash

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Shoppers have taken to social media site X to complain they have struggled to find the spread

Unilever has halted production of Marmite peanut butter after five years, The Grocer can reveal.

A spokeswoman for the manufacturer told The Grocer it would “no longer be making Marmite peanut butter” after shoppers took to social media site X to complain they were struggling to find it in stores.

“Not a single supermarket that I have been to in Kent has it,” one shopper complained. Another consumer said they had tried looking for Marmite peanut butter in Sainsbury’s and Tesco and found “nothing”.

Indeed, research by The Grocer using Assosia data reveals the product had completely disappeared from Tesco and Sainsbury’s by 6 September 2024.

“We’re always reviewing our ranges to make sure our products reflect shopper preferences, whilst also focusing on new innovations,” the Unilever spokeswoman told The Grocer.

“Whilst we will no longer be making Marmite peanut butter, we are working on some new and exciting launches within our licensing range to bring our iconic Marmite flavour to shoppers in new ways and formats,” she said.

The spread, comprising about 90% nut butter with about 10% yeast extract, first hit shelves in 2019 to much fanfare.

At the time, Unilever said it had been “carefully crafted by the clever boffins in our Marmite lab to appeal to both Marmite fans and peanut butter lovers”.

However, value sales of Marmite peanut butter plummeted by 20.8% to £1.9m last year on volumes down 32.3% [NIQ 52 w/e 9 September 2023].

In the coming months, Unilever would continue to add to its Marmite limited-editions range, the spokeswoman advised. This included its pipeline of Elton John Marmite jars, the third iteration of which hit shelves this summer.

It comes after Unilever teamed up with Tayto Group to launch a range of Marmite branded crisps and snacks in January, following the end of its partnership with Walkers in 2023.

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