The U.S. has some "ketch-ing up" to do plus more [WEEKLY ROUND UP 4/09/21]
This week is full of some shortages and droughts, but there are also some sweet treats and much needed brews on the horizon.
This condiment manufacturer has a lot of "Ketch-ing" up to do.
We have been faced with many shortages in the past 12+ months, but a ketchup shortage just doesn’t seem to make sense. Does it? Can it be? It's true and it makes complete sense too. The pandemic has caused many restaurants to offer take out only, which increased the output of ketchup packets. Heinz, which makes up 70% of the ketchup market is struggling to keep up with the demand. This has forced many companies to use generic ketchup brands, and secondary suppliers to make up for the shortage. Who knew American would one day be "ketch-ing up" on making its favorite condiment.
McDonald’s is adding a sweet twist to summer.
The fast food chain is releasing a new McFlurry flavor: Caramel Brownie. This sweet dessert, which will be available May 3rd, is a swirly combination of vanilla soft serve, brownie pieces, and a caramel topping. According to McDonald's senior director of culinary, Chad Schafer, the flavors are “‘inspired by that first-warm-day-of-the-year feeling’”. With warm days filling our calendars, this news is also a sweet treat to our ears.
Starbucks has a bit of a problem, and oat milk is mixed up in it.
Starbucks recently released a variety of oat milk drinks, but the coffee chain is now facing an oat milk drought. These specialty drinks, crafted with Oatly brand oat milk, debuted nationally in March. The news had oat milk fans sitting at the edge of their seats. However, only a month into the rollout, customers are finding themselves unable to order these sweet drinks. In the beginning, fans were so excited that certain locations were not able to keep up with demand and they started running out of oat milk. Now the oat milk drinks have become temporarily unavailable. Starbucks isn’t attributing the oat milk to the shortage, but rather they believe their drink flavors (featuring the oat milk) such as Honey Oak Milk Latte resonate well with their customers. Whatever the reason is, don’t expect to get your hands on these drinks anytime soon.
Something is brewing at Wholefoods.
Who doesn’t love grocery store food brands like 365, especially when they are about 25% less than their brand name counterparts? Now what about a store brand beer? Enter Wholefoods brand beer. That’s right! The grocery chain has started brewing its own New England IPA and Post Oak Pale Ale. However, before we get too excited, these three brews are only available in Texas for now. The hope is that the beers will become available in more locations near the end of 2021.