Leggo my Eggo !

[Syncopate]

http://money.cnn.com/2009/11/18/news/co ... /index.htm

Leggo your Eggo: There's a waffle shortage


Kellogg is rationing its Eggo products due to flooding and equipment problems at two bakeries. The shortfall could last through mid-2010.

By Julianne Pepitone, CNNMoney.com staff reporter

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Better hoard your Eggos!

Grocery stores will be experiencing a shortage of the waffles until mid-2010 due to problems at two bakeries, a Kellogg's spokeswoman said on Wednesday.

Flooding at an Atlanta bakery during heavy rains in October forced Kellogg (K, Fortune 500), which makes Eggo products, to shut down production temporarily, said company spokesman Kris Charles. Plus, equipment at Kellogg's largest waffle facility, based in Rossville, Tenn., needs extensive repairs.

"We are working around the clock to restore Eggo store inventories to normal levels as quickly as possible," Charles said in an e-mail.

Remaining inventory will be rationed to stores across the country "based on historical percentage of business."

Production figures are confidential, Charles said, but Charles added that all lines are operational except for several lines at the Rossville plant.

Chad, a grocery manager at King Soopers in Denver who declined to give his last name, said his store is "seeing some shortage, but not much." A Kroger in Jackson, Miss., was also experiencing shortages, according to a manager in the frozen foods sections. At Fairway in New York City, Eggos were in full supply, however, according to a manager at the Red Hook location.

The production problems will also affect other Eggo products, including pancakes, syrup and other breakfast food. To alert customers, Kellogg has placed a warning to customers on top of its Eggo Web site and placed notices in some grocery stores.

Twitter bites back. Eggo enthusiasts took to the Internet to mourn the shortage. Lovers of the Twilight vampire movie series thinking about another kind of bite, as Twitter fanpage editors comforted each other via the social media site.

User @KStew411, a page devoted to Twilight star Kristen Stewart, tweeted on Tuesday: "I am despondent. DESPONDENT. My 4 food groups are: tacos, skittles, pop, and eggos!"

User @cullenluv sent a message of support: "We're outta Eggos here, too!! It's a national tragedy!!"

First Published: November 18, 2009: 12:14 PM ET

[Beckron]

I saw a sign in Publix last week about waffle shortage.

[Dgstan]

That's funny. I was just reading the same story. Seriously, if you could find them, buy as much as you can. It'll be THE hot Xmas gift this year and you sure don't have to worry about them spoiling. They'll keep forever.

They're already hitting eBay!

http://cgi.ebay.com/Time-to-LEGO-my-EGGO_W0QQitemZ330378424909QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item4cec16b24d

[MaryS]

That's funny. I was just reading the same story. Seriously, if you could find them, buy as much as you can. It'll be THE hot Xmas gift this year and you sure don't have to worry about them spoiling. They'll keep forever.

They're already hitting eBay!

http://cgi.ebay.com/Time-to-LEGO-my-EGGO_W0QQitemZ330378424909QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item4cec16b24d

Doesn't exactly seem to have started a bidding war.

People may actually have to start making their own.

[Syncopate]

That's funny. I was just reading the same story. Seriously, if you could find them, buy as much as you can. It'll be THE hot Xmas gift this year and you sure don't have to worry about them spoiling. They'll keep forever.

They're already hitting eBay!

http://cgi.ebay.com/Time-to-LEGO-my-EGGO_W0QQitemZ330378424909QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item4cec16b24d

From the listing- *only four(4) eggos remaining in box, so Caveat emptor .
Something else that will survive a nuclear holocaust besides Twinkies.

[Tuxtin]

doh! i had no idea, i love me eggos, must stock up; they rank right up there with krusteaz frozen pancakes.

yes, i could make them both from a mix but i'm lazy.

[PrivateSmiles]

Oh no! I keep my freezer stocked with them & they're on my current grocery list.

[Kermit]

"...Something else that will survive a nuclear holocaust besides Twinkies..."

You forgot McDonald's french fries. They don't even spoil and no bacteria will attack them.

[Joel]

"...Something else that will survive a nuclear holocaust besides Twinkies..."

You forgot McDonald's french fries. They don't even spoil and no bacteria will attack them.

So very true. My son did a science project last year. Took a McDonalds fry and put it in a covered glass container. Did the same with an In N Out fry. In a few weeks, the In N Out fry was green and fuzzy. It has been over a year now, and the McDonalds fry still looks exactly the same as the day he put it in the container..

[MaryS]

If you want to hoard a commodity, might try canned pumpkin. Think I'll pick up a can this week for next year's pie.

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-p ... ?track=rss

Pumpkin shortage could mean empty shelves after Thanksgiving

Heavy rains have pretty much destroyed this year's small harvest, says food giant Nestle, which controls about 85% of the crop for canning. Supermarkets say supplies are tight.

With 5,000 acres of pumpkin fields in Morton, Ill., saturated, Libby's won't have any surplus to sell next fall while the 2010 crop is processed. (Adam Gerik / Nestle / November 13, 2009)

By Jerry Hirsch

November 18, 2009

Mother Nature may have sneaked off with a sought-after slice of Thanksgiving.

Recent heavy rains in the Midwest are putting pumpkin pie in short supply this holiday season. On Tuesday, food giant Nestle, which controls about 85% of the pumpkin crop for canning, issued a rare apology and said that rain appeared to have destroyed what remained of a small harvest this year and that it expected to stop shipping the holiday staple by Thanksgiving.

Supermarkets say supplies are tight, depending on the store.

Daymond Rice, a spokesman for Safeway Inc.'s Vons markets, said the chain had enough pumpkin to get through Thanksgiving. "However, we are concerned that we may not have enough -- or will not be able to acquire enough -- product to get through the full holiday season. It remains yet to be seen."

Albertsons said it believed it had enough of the canned pumpkin to last through Thanksgiving. It retails for $2.99 for a 29-ounce can. The grocery chain, a unit of Supervalu Inc., does not plan any shortage-related price increase.

The shortage affects the Libby's brand of 100% pumpkin in 15- and 29-ounce cans as well as Libby's Pumpkin Pie Mix filling in a 30-ounce can.

Some chains have been pushing fresh pumpkins as alternatives. At various points during the shortage, Sprouts Farmers Market has featured displays of a smaller, plumper California-grown pumpkin species than what is sold for Halloween jack-o'-lanterns. A sticker with each pumpkin provides a recipe for turning it into pie.

But Sprouts spokeswoman Patti Milligan said the season for pie pumpkins "is pretty much over, and only a few of our stores still have them."

Shoppers are adapting to the shortage.

Amy Davis, a retired art teacher and swim coach from Anaheim, is figuring out new ways to make pumpkin bread. Usually she uses canned pumpkin but this year is using a packaged mix she found at Trader Joe's.

Davis also has figured out how to use other types of squash as a substitute. "Add some allspice and cinnamon and you get something that tastes pretty close to pumpkin," she said. She also said that sweet potato pie makes a good substitute.

Nestle says that once it runs out, it won't have more pumpkin to can until August, when the 2010 harvest starts. This year's shortage started several months ago and was the result of Libby's not having much surplus from the 2008 crop as a carry-over to sell in September. Nestle said in October that it expected the shortage to ease as the 2009 harvest got underway.

But heavy rains saturated the company's 5,000 acres of pumpkin fields in Morton, Ill., making it nearly impossible for tractors and other equipment to operate, Nestle said.

That will leave Libby's without any surplus to sell next fall while the 2010 crop matures and is processed. Libby's uses what it calls the Select Dickinson pumpkin. It is smaller, squatter, meatier, heavier and sweeter than the typical Halloween pumpkin. The company likes the creamy texture of the pumpkin because it lends itself to cooking.

Nestle issued a formal apology to bakers and posted alternative recipes for desserts such as Holiday-Spiced Baked Custard and Chocolate Satin Pie on its VeryBestBaking.com website.

"If only we could have changed the weather. We hope Mother Nature is nicer to us next year, hopefully delivering less rain and more sunshine," said Paul Bakus, vice president and general manager of Nestle Baking.

Acres of pumpkins sit unharvested in Morton, and the longer the fruit sits in the muddy fields, the more likely it is that the quality of the pumpkin has declined, the company said. Nestle executives believe it is degrading to the point where they will plow it back under the soil to be used as fertilizer for next year's crop.