Kellogg's Finally Explains Eggo Waffle Shortage
Consumerist's quest to find out on behalf of you, our readers, where all of the Eggo waffles have gone has come to an end. The culprit isn't aliens or unemployed Americans munching on waffles at home while watching Judge Judy. It was a flood at the factory in Atlanta where the waffles are made.
The scarcity was triggered by September's floods in the southeastern U.S., which temporarily closed an Atlanta waffle factory, as well as by equipment problems at the company's largest waffle plant, in Rossville, Tennessee, spokeswoman Kris Charles said today in an e-mail.
We're not at all bitter that Kellogg's answers Bloomberg News's emails, but not ours. Nope. Not one bit.
Since earlier this week, Kellogg's has also updated their web site to reflect this information. Here's the entry from the FAQ:
Eggo recently experienced supply constraints caused by flood damage at our bakery in Atlanta. In addition, we've been making significant equipment and technology enhancements at our other waffle bakeries. Unfortunately, these repairs and upgrades are taking longer than anticipated.
Eggo is working around the clock to bring everyone's favorite waffles back to store shelves as quickly as possible. We hope to regain full distribution of Eggo products by the middle of 2010. This is a top priority for Kellogg Company.
Interestingly, waffles from this same Atlanta plant were recalled due to listeria contamination a few months ago, before the flooding.
Kellogg Plant Flood Triggers Eggo Waffle Shortage [Bloomberg]
Eggo FAQ [Kellogg's]
PREVIOUSLY:
Hey, Where Did All The Eggo Waffles Go?
Poll: What Caused The Great Eggo Waffle Shortage Of '09?
(Thanks to reader Josh for the photo!)
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Comments:
I had waffles for breakfast. I made the batter the day before (yeasted waffles, mmm) so it only took about 5 minutes today until I was eating them. They taste about 100x better than Eggo. If I'd made more batter I could have frozen some for my weekday breakfasts, and they'd still taste better. I'm surviving this shortage just fine.
At least they aren't waffling on the issue.
Amazing that Kellogg let this happen and it will take until Mid-2010 to remedy it. It has to be causing them a massive amount of lost sales and bad PR.
Ho hum. They are taking the waffle shortage very seriously.
That's ok Kellogg, I don't need your stinky eggos anyway! I make my own waffles at home!
@TWinter: Yeah, no kidding. If you've ever seen other places that go down because some act of god happened to the their plant, it can take months to get it cleaned up.
Considering it was a flood and it's a food production plant, there's probably all sorts of contamination issues that have to be addressed before production can start again.
@TWinter: What they're hiding is the fact that zombies caused the flooding . . . and you know the zombies definitely aren't under Kellogg's control.
@Kimaroo - Fortified with Kittydus Purrularis: My waffle garden is just about ready to produce its first crop.
@Kimaroo - Fortified with Kittydus Purrularis: I'm sure they could get out of it by just buttering up a few contractors.
Since the recession, companies have cut back on workers and they find a flood no reason to hire more so it will take a while for the 2 workers to clean the place up and get everything running again.
@louiedog:
I think as a kid growing up in the Chicago area, my favorite winter breakfast was waffles. My mom would make 10 tons of them and we would just freeze them. Then, when I wanted one - toaster oven for 15 minutes and I could eat a good breakfast.
A lot of people are commenting on how 2010 is a long time, but I live near the Chattahoochee River in Atlanta and the devistation was insane. I don't know exactly where this Eggo plant is located but there are many areas that will not be fully recovered until probably closer to 2011.
Half of the businesses in this plaza still remain completely closed, 2 months later.
Please... no more...
@jparadise: It's a huge priority - the longer they are unable to sell their product, the more consumers that will turn to other brands and quite possibly grow accustomed to any differences. A flood can ruin electrical wiring, cause hidden structural damage, and as mentioned cause horrendous issues with contamination. I would not be surprised if they're essentially rebuilding the factory from scratch.
@Vanilla5: No kidding. Several of my coworkers were completely wiped out and are currently starting from scratch in apartments. One had his entire house moved up the street by floodwaters.
@Vanilla5: I just did some googling, and it looks like the plant was in Austell. I work in that area, and the damage there was just as bad as reported in the media. Really, really awful for everyone, and many people I know were severely affected.
This news is really strange for me to hear. I posted several times in the original thread because I'd also been frustrated by the shortage (Eggo is a typical breakfast for me.) I had no idea that the problem literally hits close to home!
There doesn't seem to be much of a shortage up here in Alberta. o_O; Maybe it's just a States shortage?
@Kimaroo - Fortified with Kittydus Purrularis: I just hope they don't move slow as molasses on this!
I once worked for a chemical plant that was nearly totally destroyed by an explosion, and this makes sense.
A lot of the specialty equipment required to run these plants are manufactured very slowly - i.e. one or two mega pumps per year, and the company that manufactures them makes enough off of those two pumps to stay in business all year. The problem comes when one of those pumps (for instance) is destroyed - then the company that manufactures them either has to push aside orders that have been waiting for years, or ramp up production to produce three pumps. That sort of change doesn't happen quickly.
My guess is that some sort of equipment required to make a frozen waffle plant go is on backorder.
Hah like I said on the past two stories about this :P
Thank you consumerist. Next time could you please find out what happened to my Kellogs Smart Start Healthy Heart Maple & Brown Suger? I haven't been able to get that cereal in over a month, and it's the best kind.
@AK47:
Are you saying Kellogg's is making and controlling zombies? By the way, Franken Berry isn't a zombie, is he? If not, what is he?
Did I read that someone took the lego my eggo commercials too seriously?
I have read this is the real reason:
Georgia Agriculture Department Finds Listeria in Sample of Eggo Buttermilk Waffles at Atlanta Plant
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -- September 2, 2009 - A laboratory test by the Georgia Department of Agriculture (GDA) found Listeria monocytogenes in a sample of Kellogg's Buttermilk Eggo Waffles manufactured at an Atlanta plant.
The sample was taken as part of a routine inspection by GDA of the Kellogg's plant at 5601 Bucknell Dr. SW, Atlanta. This product was not shipped into the marketplace.
While no illnesses have been reported, out of an abundance of caution, Kellogg is voluntarily recalling a limited number of the following products produced in the same facility:
*
o Kellogg's® Eggo® Cinnamon Toast waffles, 10-count package, UPC code 3800040440 with Best If Used Before" dates beginning with:NOV22 10 EA, NOV23 10 EA and NOV24 10 EA.
o Kellogg's® Eggo® Toaster Swirlz™ Cinnamon Roll Minis eight-count package, UPC code 3800023370 with a "Best If Used Before" date beginning with NOV15 10 EA.
Kellogg voluntarily ceased production at the plant, began an investigation to determine a possible cause of contamination and began a regimen of cleaning and sanitizing. Kellogg will execute its hygienic restoration plan under GDA before it resumes production at the plant.
Consumption of food contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes can cause listeriosis, an uncommon but potentially serious disease. The most common manifestation of listeriosis is meningitis, which has symptoms of high fever, severe headache, neck stiffness and nausea. Listeriosis can also cause miscarriages and stillbirths, as well as serious and sometimes fatal infections to infants, the elderly and those with weakened immune systems such as persons with chronic diseases or taking chemotherapy for cancer.
By mid-2010? The damage must be really wawful.
@sveyden: these products were off the shelves long before the plant went down, and the recall notice was posted in the grocery office about a month prior.
cleaning up a flood takes months, and restoring a flooded factory takes even more. you have to first remove all the bad product and raw materials, then you have to clean and sanitize EVERYTHING, and then you have to restock all the raw materials. the amount of work to actually be done actually does fit the timeline that Kellogs is proposeing. they ARE trying to take it seriously, but todays culture doesnt want to hear "six to ten months from now" they want to hear "six to ten days"
a little patience can go a long way
@Vanilla5: I have to say I'm glad that Brookhaven is far enough away from the river.
I work at Perimeter Mall and we've had plenty of customers that have been busy fixing homes and replacing stuff. They had that weary "I feel like I just got punched in the stomach" look on their faces. Let me tell you, it's rather hard to stay happy and all bubbly customer service-y during those conversations. So much for our drought, though!
@louiedog: It's thanks to eggos that I now make my own waffles. Found a recipe on a site dedicated to all recipes *wink wink* and I LOVE it. I make cook the entire batch, freeze and the kids and I are set with a week's worth. they're the main reason I own a toaster oven.
Eggos just taste icky to me.
@Cant_stop_the_rock: It's unlikely this will have anything other than a marginal effect on their brand. If their branding and marketing team is smart, they'll turn the shortage into a campaign - you know, "Save the Eggos!" or something along those lines.
And as for PR, I also doubt there will be any measurable impact. If it were negligence or they had a salmonella scare or something, the media would report it. Luckily for Kellogg's, the scarcity is a production and supply chain issue caused by flooding and mechanical failure. The public tends to be pretty tolerant of those things.
Oh jeez, I don't think I can wait that long... I think I'm starting to get the shakes.
@Vanilla5: Thanks for the reality check. I didn't know how bad it was down there. My thoughts are with everyone who's trying to pick up the pieces.
We have three freezer burned strawberry Eggos for sale, original box, 1 for $15 or all 3 for $40. Cash only, pickup in the Columbus area, act now!
@PLATTWORX: LET this happen?? I live in Atlanta. Even our frickin' major HIGHWAYS were flooded. [images.tribe.net]
Not much Kellogs could have done about this.
I haven't had an Eggo waffle in years but aren't there adequate store brands of frozen waffles to take up the slack? Most of these are just as good and have the added advantage of being cheaper in the first place.
@Vanilla5: I am not from Atlanta, but in looking at Google Maps, it appears as if Kelloggs has several facilities.
5601 Bucknell Dr SW, Atlanta, GA appears from the images to be a production facility and it appears as if they have storage/distribution centers at: 4950 Mason Rd, College Park, GA and 1135 Commerce Dr, Morrow, GA
The Bucknell Dr. Facility backs to a river so it is likely that facility that was flooded.
By the MIDDLE OF 2010 = Top priority?! This must truly be an epic waffle fail.
I wonder if they'll pull their ads.