Hellmann’s mayo discontinued in South Africa, not everywhere

Rumors of a popular condiment being discontinued worldwide sent some sandwich lovers into a tailspin in late January.

People on Facebook, Twitter and TikTok announced that Hellmann’s is discontinuing mayonnaise production.

VERIFY reader Nicolas also shared a screenshot of the statement showing a post from Hellmann’s about discontinuing its mayo production.

“It’s hard to say goodbye to Hellmann’s delicious Mayonnaise,” the post reads. “However, due to the high inflationary import costs, we regret to stop offering Hellmann’s until further notice. A big thank you to our loyal fans for all the love of mayo over the years.”

Susan also requested VERIFICATION if the claims about the Hellmann mayonnaise being discontinued are true.

Will Hellmann’s Mayonnaise Be Discontinued Worldwide?

No, Hellmann’s mayonnaise is not discontinued worldwide. But Hellmann’s is discontinuing the product in South Africa.

Hellmann’s dismisses mayonnaise rumors in a tweet on Wednesday, February 1.

“Mayo fam, fear not… Hellmann’s Mayo is widely available in the United States and other parts of the world, only unfortunately not available in South Africa until further notice,” Hellmann’s wrote. “That means there’s still time to stock up before your Big Game party next Sunday!”

Tara Loveland, a spokesperson for the brand, also confirmed in an email that “there are no changes to Hellmann’s mayo in the US and Canada.” This also applies to Best Foods, which is the brand name for Hellmann mayonnaise sold on the West Coast.

VERIFY has also contacted major grocery chains. A Walmart spokesperson said their stores will continue to sell Hellmann’s mayonnaise.

It’s unclear exactly where the social media post that led to the confusion came from, but it looks like it was posted by one of the brand’s South African pages.

An edited post on Hellmann’s Instagram page for South Africa roughly matches the screenshot Nicolas sent for VERIFICATION. But the Instagram post now specifies that the outage only applies to South Africa.

“It’s hard to say goodbye to Hellmann’s delicious Mayonnaise,” the post reads. However, due to the high inflationary import costs, we regret to stop offering Hellmann’s in South Africa until further notice.”

Hellmann’s Facebook page in South Africa is no longer available.