Is Minnesota Seeing Another Shortage? This Time It’s Frozen Pizza
We like to joke around the office about the phrase 'supply chain' and 'supply chain shortages', namely we have begun to get sick of that phrase, well now it seems the 'supply chain' has made it personal. Apparently, we are starting to see the beginning of another round of shortages, this time it revolves around frozen pizza, specifically it seems that there just isn't enough Totino's Party Pizza to go around.
I didn't realize that we may be on the cusp of a shortage of frozen pizza until my mom's cousin posted about not being able to find any in the metro area, which she was quickly supported in her frustration over a lack of party pizza's by her friends. At first, I brushed this off as some non-sense, but then I took a stroll down my local grocery store frozen food aisle, and it certainly seemed like the coolers were a little light on the bright red bag, among other holes. It turns out that a shortage of pepperoni and people in the workforce might NOT be our culprit to the frozen pizza high-jinx we are seeing.
Totino’s General Mills’ senior associate brand manager, Michael Bierbach, says that the market is already showcasing consistent year-over-year growth.
In an October published article from The Food Institute, it appears that since 2020 the demand for frozen pizza has gone WAY up.
"Pandemic lockdowns impacted consumer behavior, inspiring many to stockpile larger quantities of shelf-stable products and items with longer shelf life, such as frozen foods. That understandably bolstered the demand for frozen pizza."
Totino’s General Mills’ senior associate brand manager, Michael Bierbach, says that the market is already showcasing consistent year-over-year growth. This is resulting in more demand for the frozen 'za and it seems the folks behind Totino's, General Mills, is having a hard time keeping up.
And it's not just America who is craving more frozen pizza, The Food Institute went on to state:
"Thanks to globalization, consumers are more aware of the latest trends in food, like frozen pizza. As a result, the frozen product is gradually penetrating Asian markets. Experts already predict impressive prospects in China, India, South Korea, and other countries."
On top of the increased demand for more 'shelf-stable food', like frozen pizza, there was the pepperoni shortage that plagued pizzerias.
So if you are looking for frozen pizza, and don't seem to find YOUR brand it just might be due to how popular it became during 2020 through 2021.
I reached out to Totino's directly for comment on exactly why it seems there are holes in the Totino's Party Pizza section and will update this when I hear back.
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