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Friday, November 20, 2009
Pumpkin Pie for Turkey Day? Maybe Not
By Rick Nathanson
Journal Staff Writer
If cherry, peach or apple pie is your preferred choice for Thanksgiving, finding canned filling on grocery store shelves shouldn't be a problem.
If you're looking forward to pumpkin pie, it could be a little iffy.
Heavy rains in the Midwest damaged this year's pumpkin crop, causing a dismal harvest that has affected large commercial pumpkin canners.
At least one supermarket chain that operates in New Mexico expects canned pumpkin supplies to be reduced, while another says it isn't worried. And local stores that sell primarily natural and organic foods say their suppliers are in good shape.
Nationwide, chains such as Vons have said supplies are tight.
Marsha Gilford, vice president of public affairs for Salt Lake City-based Smith's Food & Drug stores, said Thursday, "Our buyers say the whole pumpkin crop was only 65 percent of what was expected.
"They're putting many retailers on allocation, so everybody is being shipped only a portion of their orders. We're in the same boat as everybody else."
There are 26 Smith's stores in New Mexico, 15 in the Albuquerque metro area. The main brand of canned pumpkin sold by Smith's is Libby's, owned by food giant Nestle.
Earlier this week, Nestle, which controls 85 percent of the crop used for canned pumpkin mix, issued an apology, explaining that rain destroyed what remained of a small harvest, and shipments of canned pumpkin will cease by Thanksgiving.
Nestle says that once it runs out, it won't have more pumpkin to can until August, when the 2010 harvest starts.
Gilford said a large shipment of Libby's canned pumpkin should be on New Mexico Smith's store shelves in the next couple of days. "It's hard to predict sales, but if people shop early they should be OK; if they wait until the day before Thanksgiving, there's no guarantee." The supply for Christmas is much less certain, she added.
Albertsons appears to have plenty of canned pumpkin on hand.
"When Nestle started expressing concern about the pumpkin crop, we started looking for other sources," said Chris Wilcox, director of communications and public affairs for the Boise, Idaho-based chain. In addition, she said, Albertsons placed orders early for the Libby's product, which should be in most stores through the December holidays.
Albertsons operates 30 stores in New Mexico, 17 in the Albuquerque metro area.
Stores that carry primarily organic products aren't concerned. "We're not able to get the Libby's canned pumpkin, but we have been getting the all-natural brands," said Dave Bicket, manager of the Sunflower Market on the West Side. "We're not anticipating problems for Thanksgiving, and we've already pre-booked and purchased our lots for Christmas."
Likewise, Keller's Farm Stores, Trader Joe's, La Montanita Co-Op Food Market and Whole Foods rely heavily on organic brands and expect to have plenty of product available.
Material from the Los Angeles Times was incorporated into this report.
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