Space Food Sticks were a lunch box item available in Australia until 2014. Here’s the history of Space Food Sticks and what happened to them.
What Were Space Food Sticks
Space Food Sticks were developed by the Pillsbury Company in the United States in the 1960’s. Pillsbury worked in collaboration with NASA to create an energy snack that would be suitable for Astronauts. Pillsbury released the product to the public in 1969.
White Wings bought Space Sticks to Australia in 1971.
The Space Food Sticks were actually used during the Gemini and Apollo missions.
What Happened to Space Food Sticks
After the initial excitement around space and the moon missions wore off, Space Sticks lost their appeal. In the United States the product was renamed to Food Sticks and were discontinued in American during the 1980’s.
Interestingly, the brand continued on in Australia. Nestle Acquired the Space Sticks brand from White Wings and they were renamed as Starz Space Sticks. Many Australian’s will remember having Space Sticks in their lunch boxes. They were sold in Australia until 2014.
Nestle chose to briefly revive the brand in 2019 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the moonwalk.
Can you Buy Space Sticks in Australia Anymore?
Space Sticks are no longer manufactured and they are no longer for sale in Australia. You might be able to buy a packet from the 2019 revival but they are no longer being made.
Why Did Space Sticks Stop Getting Made?
When Space Sticks first launched they were marketed as a Nutritional Energy Bar. The reality is they contained large amounts of sugar and fat and aren’t compatible with people’s healthier lifestyles. Space Sticks also saw an increase in competing lunch box products including items like Muesli Bars. Space Sticks were never a particularly great tasting product but would have been popular with kids due to the amount of sugar.
The reality is many parents don’t want to feed this type of item to children anymore so there is a limited demand.