CPG

A shortlist of recent product shortages

Inflation, inclement weather, and perhaps Amy Schumer are to blame.
article cover

Stefani Reynolds/Getty Images

· 3 min read

Retail news that keeps industry pros in the know

Retail Brew delivers the latest retail industry news and insights surrounding marketing, DTC, and e-commerce to keep leaders and decision-makers up to date.

After coming for Rice Krispies earlier this year, the Everything Shortage is back for more—and it’s happening often enough that most consumers have said they think product shortages are the “new normal.” Here are the latest items that are hard to come by (and why):

Tampons: Last week, Time reported a tampon shortage hitting US stores from New York to California, with CVS, Target, and Walgreens confirming to NPR they’ve seen limited supply.

Tampax maker Procter & Gamble (which sells 4.5 billion boxes of tampons annually and has a ~50% market share in the US menstrual-care category) initially blamed Amy Schumer. But the shortage is no joke. The problem actually comes down to the “costly and highly volatile” process of acquiring materials—cotton prices were up 71% YoY in April, per Time—P&G CFO Andre Schulten said on its Q3 earnings call.

  • Meanwhile, Playtex maker Edgewell Personal Care told Time it’s dealing with major staff shortages at its Delaware facility.

Both P&G and Edgewell told Bloomberg they’re boosting production to make up for the shortages. P&G also plans to raise the prices of feminine-care products in mid-July.

Sriracha: Asian hot-sauce manufacturer Huy Fong Foods, maker of the beloved Sriracha with a rooster-adorned bottle, said a “severe shortage” of chili is leading to a shortage of its products. You can blame the weather for this one. The company halted production in April due to a poor spring chili crop caused by a drought in Mexico and parts of the western US.

  • The company said it “hopes for a fruitful fall season” and isn’t accepting orders from distributors placed before September.

Popcorn: Another shortage that’s popped up. Norm Krug, CEO of popcorn supplier Preferred Popcorn, told the Wall Street Journal that he’s worried this year’s crop may come up short, adding that the company is paying more for farmers to grow popcorn in an attempt to deter them from switching to more profitable crops like soybeans.

Lettuce: Floods in New South Wales and Queensland have caused a lettuce shortage in Australia, so much so that KFC Australia is now supplementing its limited supply with cabbage for its burgers and wraps.

+1: Replenishment of baby formula has hit a speed bump. Less than two weeks after Abbott Nutrition resumed production at its Michigan facility following a halt since February, the company is facing a weeks-long production and distribution challenge after severe storms caused the plant to flood earlier this week.—EC

Retail news that keeps industry pros in the know

Retail Brew delivers the latest retail industry news and insights surrounding marketing, DTC, and e-commerce to keep leaders and decision-makers up to date.