The country is experiencing a dire shortage of Eggo waffles after two complications at Kellogg's Atlanta plant halted production for months. When the Georgia Department of Agriculture found a bacteria problem in the factory in September, Kellogg went to work correcting that. Just as the plant was ready to reopen for business, October's flooding shut the facility down again. Repairs at the company's Tennessee facility have also reportedly slowed production. Now, no one can find an Eggo, and those who have are loathe to leggo. Eggo is now rationing waffles until mid-2010, when things are expected to return to normal:
As Eggo Waffles become rare on store shelves, due to problems at Kellogg bakeries, the company is rationing them - and may continue to do so through mid-2010. "We are working around the clock to restore Eggo store inventories to normal levels as quickly as possible," wrote Kellogg spokeswoman Kris Charles in an e-mail. "In the meantime, we're allocating available product to customers based on historical percentage of business." So which regions might get their Eggos back first? Mrs. Charles wouldn't say, adding only that Kellogg has "loyal Eggo consumers across the country."
On the bright side, because the breakfast pastry industry is not a government run monopoly, you can avail yourself of Toaster Strudels, Pop Tarts, and many others in the wide variety of high-carb morning comfort foods our economy reliably produces. Even better: because the government cannot keep the price of this momentarily scarce product artificially low, Eggos can quickly be allocated to those who need them most through price signals. Translation: You can get a 16-pack for $30 on eBay. Given Barack Obama's strong feelings about "just eating his waffles," I expect government action to ruin the efficiencies of the market with a giant waffle rescue any day now, so get 'em while you can.