Heinz ketchup latest shortage amid pandemic
Ketchup is the lastest COVID-19 related shortage.
Not the bottled variety as much as the small individual packages restaurants give with pickup, takeout and delivery orders.
And it’s hitting America’s most popular brand, Heinz, with shortages at chains like Long John’s Silver and Texas Roadhouse, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Kraft Heinz confirmed on Tuesday that it is working to increase supplies, such as adding new manufacturing lines that will increase production by about 25% for a total of more than 12 billion packets a year.
Other recent shortages include GrapeNuts cereal and microchips, which is affecting car production and used car prices.
The blockage of the Suez Canal by a skyscraper-sized cargo ship could also cause snarls in the global supply chain, resulting in shortages of products such as toilet paper, coffee and furniture in the U.S.
Another reason for the shortage is restaurants also are using the packets when consumers are dining in, which is part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recommendations for restaurants.
“Avoid using or sharing items that are reusable, such as menus, condiments, and any other food containers,” the CDC said. “Instead, use disposable or digital menus (menus viewed on cellphones), single serving condiments, and no-touch trash cans and doors.” Kraft Heinz said when overall restaurant demand plunged at the start of the pandemic, it saw the shift to takeout and delivery and pivoted to prioritize production of products. In November, Heinz also added a new no-touch dispenser “to further meet changing restaurant needs.”