The 2022 Great Cream Cheese Shortage

[dmccarty]

Has anyone else noticed a shortage of cream cheese?

Weeks ago I noticed that the shelves, and there are several shelves for cream cheese, were fairly empty. There was cream cheese but not the usual flavors and not many containers of what was available. This has been going on for weeks.

A week or so back, there was no, nada, zip, cream cheese to buy. Nothing on the shelves. There was plenty of milk, various creams but no half and half.

Last week there were two flavors of cream cheese that are not very popular and a bunch of plain cream cheese in blocks not tubs. Lots of the plain cream cheese but none of the flavored mixes.

One of the kids will go grocery shopping in different stores, sometimes in another county, and is seeing limited cream cheese selections in those stores. My parents are seeing the same thing in their state.

Just such a strange shortage. At first I was thinking it was because people were starting socialize more, I think there was some sporting event recently for which there are parties, so maybe the cream cheese was being use in dips and such. Except the cream cheese that missing would not be used in dips. Odd.

Anyone else seeing a shortage of cream cheese?

 

[3 Horse Ranch]

Has anyone else noticed a shortage of cream cheese?

Weeks ago I noticed that the shelves, and there are several shelves for cream cheese, were fairly empty. There was cream cheese but not the usual flavors and not many containers of what was available. This has been going on for weeks.

A week or so back, there was no, nada, zip, cream cheese to buy. Nothing on the shelves. There was plenty of milk, various creams but no half and half.

Last week there were two flavors of cream cheese that are not very popular and a bunch of plain cream cheese in blocks not tubs. Lots of the plain cream cheese but none of the flavored mixes.

One of the kids will go grocery shopping in different stores, sometimes in another county, and is seeing limited cream cheese selections in those stores. My parents are seeing the same thing in their state.

Just such a strange shortage. At first I was thinking it was because people were starting socialize more, I think there was some sporting event recently for which there are parties, so maybe the cream cheese was being use in dips and such. Except the cream cheese that missing would not be used in dips. Odd.

Anyone else seeing a shortage of cream cheese?

They mentioned it on the news a month or so ago, I can't remember what the reason for it was.

 

[MossRoad]

Yes.

https://www.ocregister.com/2021/12/15/that-cream-cheese-shortage-you-heard-about-cyberattacks-played-a-part/

 

[dmccarty]

Yes.

https://www.ocregister.com/2021/12/15/that-cream-cheese-shortage-you-heard-about-cyberattacks-played-a-part/

Wow. I read a diverse set of newspapers and this is the first I have heard of the attack on the company. Back in December there was a very big security vulnerability and I suspect that story overshadowed an attack on a company on the media sites I read.

Still, one would think there would be more coverage...

Thanks for the info.
Dan

 

[dmccarty]

Try making your own! ​

...

I was and am thinking about making my own! I have been taking plain cream cheese and mixing with the ingredients I want.

I go through periods of eating and not eating cream cheese. Usually around the holidays I will have cream cheese, smoked salmon and bagels. Well, what the call bagels in the local stores. I made my own bagels one year and was hopping to do so in December but we were too busy with one family issue after another.

Later,
Dan

 

[MossRoad]

Yeah, when you first hear that a cheese factory was the victim of a cyber attack, you think "WHAT?" and "WHY?" But apparently there's profit in taking over computer systems and holding them for ransom.

So cyber attack combined with just the busiest time of the year for demand for cream cheese (holiday season) = disaster. Crazy world.

 

[MossRoad]

You know what's really good?

Take a Ritz cracker and put a spoonful of cream cheese on it. Then take the back of the spoon and make an indentation in the cheese. Then take a small spoonful of hot pepper jelly and put it in the indentation. Enjoy!

 

[5030]

Gastrointestinal delight....lol Bet your are fun to sleep with... Poor wife.

 

[MossRoad]

Gastrointestinal delight....lol Bet your are fun to sleep with... Poor wife.

Still have the full wave waterbed.... man overboard!

 

[5030]

Myself, I've gotten away from Ritz's. I prefer Woven Wheats myself. Much more structurally rigid....lol Eating them right now as a matter of fact, sans cream cheese though.

 

[MossRoad]

Myself, I've gotten away from Ritz's. I prefer Woven Wheats myself. Much more structurally rigid....lol Eating them right now as a matter of fact, sans cream cheese though.

Blech! Reminds me of shredded wheat. Or SOS pads.

I like the Club crackers as well. Chicken In A Biscuit. Wheat Thins.

 

[5030]

Different folks have different tastes Moss. I like sponge bread with peanut butter and sliced nanners too and anchovies on my pizza.

 

[MossRoad]

Different folks have different tastes Moss. I like sponge bread with peanut butter and sliced nanners too and anchovies on my pizza.

now that's tasty!

 

[LouNY]

I just noticed yesterday when I went in to the grocery store to pick up a few things, cream cheese being on the list.
I walked by the section twice looking for it, till I stopped in that empty section and read the labels.
Absolutely no cream cheese in the store.

I was going to read the article previously mentioned but it didn't like my ad blocker.

 

[MossRoad]

We have a few name brands and a few store brands of cream cheese. Sometimes there's only a couple packs on the shelves. Gotta get it when you see it.

The other day I told my kid I made chicken cordon bleu. She asked where I got chicken to make that. I figured she meant flattened chicken breasts. So I told her I put it in plastic wrap and whacked it with a meat hammer. She said no, I mean where did you get chicken, our store is out!

 

[Oaktree]

I walked by the section twice looking for it, till I stopped in that empty section and read the labels.
Absolutely no cream cheese in the store.

She said no, I mean where did you get chicken, our store is out!

No trouble finding either around here. Price is up on both, but what hasn't gone up in price over the last year?

Picked up a gallon of windshield washer fluid at WM today. $3.49!! Used to be <$2.

 

[5030]

We have a few name brands and a few store brands of cream cheese. Sometimes there's only a couple packs on the shelves. Gotta get it when you see it.

The other day I told my kid I made chicken cordon bleu. She asked where I got chicken to make that. I figured she meant flattened chicken breasts. So I told her I put it in plastic wrap and whacked it with a meat hammer. She said no, I mean where did you get chicken, our store is out!

Same here, no thighs, no drumsticks, just breasts and wings and no whole birds either.

 

[bmaverick]

Gave up on cream cheese. And a good sour cream substitute is Greek yogurt.

 

[Mtsoxfan]

Heard about that in December. No issues here getting cream cheese or anything for that matter.
Well... diesel oil is scarse...

 

[dmccarty]

What is odd about the shortage is that there was not shortage here in the stores in November and early December. I was eating smoked salmon, cream cheese and bagels at that time. But the shortage is here in the middle of February. It is the only thing I have noticed that was out of stock. No Half and Half but that has been a problem for a good part of the pandemic and there was always a substitute to buy.

Strange Times we live in...
Dan