Hershey CEO Michele Buck is here with a very important warning about the potential for a candy shortage this Halloween.
The consumer demand is simply too high at the moment and Buck is doing her best to spread the word. She has already acknowledged that Hershey’s “will not be able to fully meet consumer demand” but that is not all that she had to say on the matter.
According to CNN, Buck said, “We had a strategy of prioritizing everyday on-shelf availability. That was a choice that we needed to make. It was a tough decision.” So how did this decision affect our potential Halloween candy availability? The company is going through some serious supply chain issues, as they look to keep up with the increased consumer demand.
You see, the demand for these sweet treats started to pick up significantly during the pandemic and things have not gotten much better since. From the looks of it, the demand is going to remain high and that has left other companies playing catch up. Even the good folks at Hershey’s do not seem to be immune to the issue and that’s why we all need to do our best to understand.
The Hershey company is still doing quite well, in case anyone is curious. They have experienced double-digit growth in their sales during this year’s second quarter as compared to last year’s.
Unfortunately, the company currently utilizes the same manufacturing lines for both seasonal and regular candy products, according to CNN. This leaves them unable to increase their production in both areas. The Hershey’s company has to pick one and stick to it.
Dairy prices also continue to rise and the ingredients that are used during the candy-making process have become more and more scarce. This has made life harder for the candy giants of the world but they are doing the best that they can. In order to keep candy on the shelves, they are forced to obtain the ingredients that they need at a more expensive rate.
That’s how they are keeping candy on the shelves at the moment but the demand for Halloween candy is simply too high for Hershey’s to ratchet up the production for. Hopefully, everyone takes this warning with the utmost seriousness and does their best to get their hands on the necessary Halloween candy as soon as possible.