Is Kraft Pimento Cheese Spread discontinued? Kraft Foods Inc. is an American food manufacturing and processing firm based in Chicago, Illinois. It separated from Kraft Foods Inc. in 2012. In 2015, it was acquired by Kraft Heinz. On July 2, 2015, The Kraft Heinz Company was formed by a merger with Heinz arranged by Heinz owners Berkshire Hathaway and 3G Capital, forming The Kraft Heinz Company.
Pimento (or pimiento) cheese is a spread made of cheese, mayonnaise, and pimientos typically served on crackers, vegetables, or sandwiches. It is a favorite of southern American cuisine. But it is also enjoyed elsewhere, with regional variations in ingredients.
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Kraft Pimento Cheese Spread
Kraft Pimento Spread with Philadelphia Cream Cheese is a highly customizable spread with a rich flavor that everyone will love. This multi-purpose spread, made with Philadelphia cream cheese and dried pimentos, has a distinct flavor that will tempt our taste buds. We can serve this rich and flavorful spread with crackers or mini toast as a quick and easy appetizer at the next dinner party or as a sandwich spread with new baked goods and lunch meats. This tasty cheese spread is also a great way to add flavor to macaroni, cheese, or quiches.
The following are the characteristics of this brand’s cheese spread:
• one jar of Kraft Pimento Spread with Philadelphia Cream Cheese contains 5 oz.
• A delicious and versatile spread is Kraft Pimento Spread with Philadelphia Cream Cheese.
• Made with dried pimentos and Philadelphia.
• Can be served with crackers or toast or incorporated into favorite recipes.
• This is also a tasty addition to macaroni and cheese.
• It should be kept refrigerated.
• They offer a handy resealable glass jar to store it.
Why is cream cheese so scarce?
One of the largest cheese producers in Wisconsin, Schreiber Foods, was the target of a cyberattack in October 2021 that forced the company to close its production facilities and distribution hubs temporarily.
Additionally, like with many other products in low supply, problems with the supply chain, such as delays in transportation or a lack of labor, have contributed. According to a recent report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Midwestern cream cheese manufacturers are busier.
During the week of December 6, 2021. Freight and transportation expenses are the “tiebreaker” for suppliers and customers. However, regional cream cheese food service shortages in the eastern U.S. may be caused by various circumstances, such as supply limitations at manufacturing plants, labor concerns, and logistical constraints.
This comes as demand for cream cheese has increased. Whether as a consequence of people baking at home or getting comfortable going out and picking up a breakfast sandwich before driving to work. The latter has caused some New York City bagel shop owners to travel across state lines in search of the cream cheese. According to data from Internationalized Resource Identifier (IRI), a market research firm, Kraft, which produces Philadelphia Cream Cheese, increased production and raised prices by 12 cents, to $4.07, for a standard container of soft cream cheese over the last year. During the holiday season, bakeries are busy selling custom desserts, which causes inflation.
Did Kraft stop pimento cheese spread?
This product is still available, though distribution may be limited in various places. It was a clever way for Kraft to gain a positive reputation amid a crisis. The shortage was caused by cyber attackers who compromised Schreiber Foods’ distribution centers in Wisconsin, a significant manufacturer of cream cheese but not the Philadelphia brand.
Supply chains have been slowed as a result of cyberattacks. According to MerchantMaverick.com retail and shopping expert Shannon Vissers, the cream cheese shortage results from ongoing supply issues caused by a cyberattack. Hackers are targeting a wide range of industries, including cream cheese. A cyberattack is the primary cause of the shortage. In late 2021, hackers launched continuous cyberattacks on various industries and organizations. This includes meat packers, police departments, and cream cheese.
Kraft’s Philadelphia Cream Cheese made headlines for a surprising reason: the company is paying customers to refrain from making cheesecakes using their cream cheese over the holiday season owing to supply chain constraints.
A video clip on the organization’s advertising website, spreadthefeeling.com, pans the camera around an empty shelf while stating, “This is not an empty shelf.” It’s a festive custom that will wait another year. The author recommends baking or purchasing brownies, cupcakes, or “anything that will make us feel something in that cheesecake-shaped hole in our heart” as an alternative. The business provided a limited number of $20 digital reimbursements over two days this week for dessert purchases made during the holiday season. These are all due to an animal supply shortage.
Reason for the shortage
The stress that COVID-19 is putting on the global food supply’s supply chain was highlighted in a paper titled “Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Food Production and Animal Health,” published in the journal Trends in Food Science & Technology. Although the report noted
That COVID-19 hurt “milk and meat industries, animals and animal-product processing industries such as slaughterhouses, and poultry sectors,” the livestock industry has been particularly hard-hit. A lack of laborers has led to food shortages in many other sectors.
COVID-19 spreads in the confined spaces of many of these industries. Because many workplaces are noisy, employees frequently shout to communicate while at work, which spreads the aerosols that could spread COVID-19 around the workplace, according to the study. The epidemic forced many migrant workers, who frequently make up most of those employed in the sector, to return to their native countries, worsening the issue.
Lockdowns brought on by the pandemic have also impacted the supply chain for the raw materials used to feed livestock, depriving them of vital nutrients. Argentina, for instance, had to cut the number of soybeans it exported in half. Soy, a crucial component of animal feeds, had to be reduced for export by both the U.S. and Brazil.
The supply of other essentials used in the animal trade, such as veterinary services, farming materials, and feed additives like vitamins and antibiotics, is also decreasing. These interconnected challenges have significantly impacted developing nations, escalating food instability and starvation there.
What happened to Kraft cheese now?
Kraft Heinz announced a definite deal to sell its B2B powdered cheese business to Kerry Group, a leading global producer of food additives, for $107.5 million. The deal is anticipated to be finalized in the second half of 2022. The manufacturing plant for Kraft Heinz’s powdered cheese in Albany, Minnesota, is also included in the deal. The 62 Kraft Heinz plant employees are being shifted to Kerry.
The Mergers and acquisition tactics of the two food giants are reflected in this agreement. While Kerry Group has been aiming to increase its ingredient offers, Kraft Heinz has attempted to customize its portfolio and focus on core businesses.
Conclusion
Additionally, Kerry is optimistic about the possibilities of cheese powders. Recently, 62% of participants in an 8,790-person global consumer poll conducted by Kerry agreed with this statement. This happened before the Kraft-Heinz merger. The poll revealed that cheese flavors make savory snacks more exciting. According to the company, the rate of introduction of cheese-flavored snacks was higher than that of savory snacks in general. Kerry will be prepared to market this more extensive cheese portfolio to producers worldwide once it genuinely owns it.