ATLANTA - Kellogg Co. says there will be a nationwide shortage of its popular Eggo frozen waffles until next summer because of interruptions in production at two of the four plants that make them.
The company's Atlanta plant was shut down for an undisclosed period by a September storm that dumped historic amounts of rain in the area. Meanwhile, several production lines at the company's largest bakery - in Rossville, Tenn. - are closed indefinitely for repairs, company spokeswoman Kris Charles said in an e-mail yesterday.
Eggos also are made at plants in Blue Anchor, N.J., and San Jose, Calif., which are not affected. Blue Anchor is a section of Winslow Township, Camden County.
It will take until mid-2010 to stock shelves at pre-shutdown levels, Charles said.
Already customers are noticing near-empty Eggo shelves in the freezer aisle at many grocery stores.
Stay-at-home mom Joey Resciniti said she bought one of the last two boxes of Eggos at a Wal-Mart in Cranberry Township, Pa., on Monday. The frozen waffles are a favorite of her daughter, Julia, 4.
"We have eight of them, and if we ration those - maybe have half an Eggo in one sitting - then it'll last longer," said Resciniti. "I told my husband that maybe I need to put them on eBay."
Charles did not know how long the Atlanta plant was shut down, but he said it was back at full production now.
The existing stock of Eggos will be distributed nationally based on stores' sales histories of the waffles, Charles said.
This week, news of the shortage spread quickly on Twitter as shoppers reported not being able to find the breakfast food. Fans of Eggos lamented their scarcity on the waffle's Facebook page, which has more than 400 members.