The Discontinued Kirkland Product Costco Just Can't Seem To Get Right

Kirkland Signature is known for delivering lower-cost versions of products we already love. For just under $28 you can get two liters of Kirkland's Extra Virgin Olive Oil that is actually the real deal, and that's just one of the Kirkland Signature grocery items you should always grab at Costco. Not every product in development at Kirkland makes it to market, though, like a mayonnaise project that was just scrapped because the company just couldn't get the recipe right.

Kirkland was working toward a healthier version of mayonnaise with added omega-3 fatty acids, known to be heart-healthy and otherwise beneficial for the body. On the surface, it seems simple to add a little more fat to a condiment already loaded with it, but that wasn't the case. Turns out adding the omega-3 fatty acids to the mayo mixture ruined the emulsion. It just wouldn't mix right, and instead of a spreadable, creamy, fatty condiment, the healthier version turned into a separated pile of goop. So the mayo was discontinued before it even hit the shelves.

We think you probably shouldn't buy condiments from Costco unless you're planning a large enough event to use up the large quantity, but you can find mayo at the warehouse under multiple brands. They're just regular mayonnaise, though, made with eggs, oil, seasonings and a little lemon juice (or some other acid) — the standard recipe for homemade and store bought mayonnaise.

When they're blended together in the right quantities, the fat in mayonnaise ingredients pulls everything together in an emulsion that creates mayo's iconic texture. If you add too much of an ingredient or don't whip them up together the right way, you'll get an emulsion that's ruined and a mayo that separates. Kirkland discovered the same thing happens if you add omega-3 fatty acids, resulting in a less-than-satisfactory mayonnaise. Standards at Kirkland don't allow for any of the brand's products to be sub-par, in fact they have to have something a little extra, or a little different, about them to be approved. So until Kirkland can figure out how to add more value to plain 'ole mayonnaise without ruining the texture, you'll have to pick up your mayo at Costco from the other brands in the condiment aisle.