Is there a cookie crisis on the horizon?
Not quite, but Pepperidge Farm is warning customers that some of its popular cookie varieties might be in short supply this holiday season.
The brand's parent company, Campbell Soup, just announced that its cookie division is facing a series of "supply constraints" that are slowing down the production of certain cookies, as first reported by Bloomberg.
Pepperidge Farm has faced an increased demand for its products during the coronavirus pandemic — 8.7% in the 13-week period ending on Nov. 1, according to the brand.
"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 Food.
While consumer demand for cookies has been steadily increasing over the past few months, Pepperidge Farm has simultaneously faced labor shortages due to the pandemic, according to the company — and it's been hard to keep up with the demand of two of their most popular varieties.
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"Our cookies with unique shapes, like the Bordeaux and Chessmen varieties, have been more impacted by supply constraints. They're very specific recipes, so because of demand, you might not be able to find as many of these specific varieties," the Campbell's spokesperson said.
Throughout the pandemic, Americans have been consuming a lot of cookies in general, and according to a new report from Top Data, the demand for cookies has increased 25% in recent months, with 1 in 5 Americans saying that they eat more than three cookies a day on average. The report's data also reveals that 32% of Americans eat 24 to 42 cookies a month, and 15.5% consume 48 to 66.
Despite supply chain issues, Pepperidge Farm said it plans to keep churning out the cookies as quickly and safely as possible.
"We've made these cookies for decades and we'll continue to make them," said the spokesperson. "There will be plenty of Pepperidge Farm cookies for Santa."
Pepperidge Farm is just the latest in a long string of food companies to report supply chain issues during the pandemic. Meat producers, in particular, have struggled to keep up with the rise in demand and at the onset of the pandemic, Tyson Foods warned consumers of meat shortages.
Over the summer, pizza lovers everywhere braced themselves for a pepperoni shortage as small pizza shops across the country began to report a rise in pepperoni prices and a tighter supply chain.
Items like toilet paper, hand sanitizer and disinfectant have been consistently hard to find through the pandemic, and by October, major household appliances, like refrigerators, dishwashers, dryers and microwaves, were also in short supply.
Mason jars, too, were in high demand this fall, as many Americans began to pick up the hobby of pickling to avoid food waste and trips to the grocery store.
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