No cookies for Christmas? We could be on the brink of a shortage, Pepperidge Farm says
In 2020, we’ve already fallen victim to toilet paper, hand sanitizer and meat shortages and now with Christmas around the corner, people might have to face the harsh reality that a cookie shortage may be next in line.
Pepperidge Farm, the makers of cookies like Milano and Farmhouse, announced that their baked sweets might hit crisis mode before the new year, according to Today and Bloomberg.
“Cookie demand has been through the roof for months now and we’ve been working around the clock to meet it,” a Campbell’s spokesperson told Today.
Thanks to a mixture of labor shortages due to the coronavirus and the cookie demand with people staying home, a “challenge” has been presented, Campbell Soup Co. (which is the maker of Pepperidge Farm cookies) Chief Executive Officer Mark Clouse said on Wednesday, according to Bloomberg.
“This portfolio is unique with proprietary recipes, and therefore we do not outsource production,” Campbell said in a statement to Bloomberg. “We’ve prioritized increasing supply and are already leveraging capacity opportunities across the network to meet increases in demand and maximize availability.”
McClatchy News reached out to Pepperidge Farm for further comment but have not heard back.
In a report by Top Data, people’s appetite for cookies shot up 25% during the pandemic, and companies like Pepperidge Farm have been feeling the heat. The report also said that 1 in 5 Americans say they eat more than three cookies a day on average.
Earlier this year, Tyson Foods warned their customers of meat shortages due to demand from those safely social distancing themselves along with the shutdown of livestock plants after workers tested positive for the virus., according to Reuters.
Pizza lovers also were pinged with a tinge of fear after pizza shops across the nation hiked up pepperoni prices and tightened their supply chain, Bloomberg reported in August.
However, Pepperidge Farm plans to keep “churning out the cookies as quickly and safely as possible,” Today reported.
“We’ve made these cookies for decades and we’ll continue to make them,” said the spokesperson, according to Today TODAY. “There will be plenty of Pepperidge Farm cookies for Santa.”