Capitalism Killed the Choco Taco. It’s Also Resurrecting It.

The news that Unilever would be discontinuing the Choco Taco ice cream product was met with shock, dismay, and (satiric) cries for government intervention. But the fast-acting free market is already preparing to resurrect the frozen treat.

In response to the Swiss-based Unilever’s announcement, Sen. Chris Murphy (D–Conn.) tweeted that he’d be introducing legislation that would invoke the Defense Production Act to keep the Choco Taco alive. On the House side, Rep. Chuy Garcia (D–Ill.) called for a congressional investigation.

????NEWS: Tomorrow I am introducing legislation to invoke the Defense Production Act to mandate the continued manufacture of Choco Tacos. Please call your Senator and demand they co-sponsor. https://t.co/7XLgs6IfOn

— Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) July 26, 2022

I’m calling for a Congressional investigation into the end of the Choco Taco. https://t.co/JuHnu9bFQr

— Congressman Chuy García (@RepChuyGarcia) July 27, 2022

Both lawmakers were obviously joking—although that didn’t stop military news site Task and Purpose from explaining precisely why using the Defense Production Act to make Choco Tacos would be just as bad of an idea as using it to make just anything else.

But the country’s ice cream entrepreneurs aren’t treating it as a laughing matter. In response to the news, an ice cream maker based in Portland, Oregon, announced that it would be rolling out its own ice cream taco treat at its collection of stores throughout the Pacific Northwest.

Tyler Malek, the founder of the Salt & Straw chain, described to the San Francisco Chronicle why this was a natural opening for his own business.

“There’s now this hole in the world,” said Malek. “We’ve been debating all day….I don’t know if we have the exact answers but we really want to figure out how to