Franksly, supply woes dog hot dogs

As Americans fill their carts for socially distanced Labor Day barbecues, they may be missing one key ingredient: hot dogs.

Some grocery stores across the country are struggling to keep the product on shelves, due to both soaring demand and supply constraints after meatpacking-plant shutdowns crippled the industry earlier this year.

“We’re still seeing some shortages from the packaged side, hot dogs and things like that,” said Vivek Sankaran, chief executive officer of Albertsons Cos., which runs regional grocery chains including Safeway and Acme. The constraints started in March, he said, and the supply issues haven’t fully abated.

Franks tend to do well when the economy sours, and they are a simple meal option for working parents facing the prospect of virtual schooling. Add to that a surge in demand ahead of one of the nation’s biggest cookout holidays, and hot dogs are flying off the shelves.

Since the pandemic began in the US, hot dog sales have been higher than last year every single week except one, according to IRI. On average, sales have been about 17 percent higher than comparable weeks last year through most of the summer, with a more recent uptick in Texas, Louisiana and Arkansas where residents stocked up on precooked meats ahead of Hurricane Laura.

The country’s grocers had already sold 83 percent of the total 2019 volume of hot dogs before this year was even two-thirds over, said Eric Mittenthal, president of the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council.

On the supply side, some plants have been focusing on larger meat cuts and fewer processed products amid worker absenteeism, contributing to the shortages.