Candy Girl
02-25-2010, 07:38 PM
Plant Upgrade Keeps Eggo Waffles in Short Supply
Broderick Perkins Contributor
(Feb. 25) -- Kellogg's frozen waffle fans are going to have to "Leggo those Eggos" a little while longer than expected.
The nation's No. 1 brand of frozen waffles, Kellogg Co.'s Eggos, is going to remain in short supply because of delays in upgrading the largest of the company's Eggo-making facilities. Problems at the plant in Rossville, Tenn., are forcing the leading frozen waffle maker to put off full production until late this year.
Meanwhile, the breakfast staple is being rationed out to retailers based on past sales.
Half of all Eggo waffles are made at a plant in Rossville, Tenn., that is being upgraded.
Eggomaniacs who can't get their fill will have to try other brands, consider frozen pancakes or French toast, buy a waffle iron or just change their breakfast menu altogether until Eggos are back in full supply.
Nearly three out of four frozen waffles consumed, 73 percent, are Eggo waffles -- at least until last fall.
Battle Creek, Mich.-based Kellogg had originally planned to resume full production of frozen waffles early this year, but at Rossville, where half of all Eggos are produced, production has been curtailed due to "extensive equipment enhancements and repairs" that have dragged on longer than expected, according to Kris Charles, a Kellogg spokeswoman.
Production also slowed last September, after the Georgia Department of Agriculture found listeria monocytogenes in samples of the Eggo Buttermilk variety and stopped production at Kellogg Co.'s Atlanta plant.
Listeria monocytogenes are infectious bacteria that can cause mild gastrointestinal problems, but are rarely life threatening.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration follow-up inspections also found the bacteria and other unsafe food handling practices.
Just as the disinfected plant was due to fire back up, heavy rains caused flooding, forcing the facility to remain shut.
In a Jan. 27 letter not posted publicly until Feb. 16, the FDA said Kellogg's Nov. 18, 2009, response to inspectors' findings indicated the company had not fully addressed federal food safety compliance requirements.
But on Feb. 16, Charles told BakingBusiness.com that the FDA's letter was posted publicly long after Kellogg had corrected problems in the Atlanta plant, which reopened Oct. 21, 2009.
"While the FDA letter was filed publicly today [Feb. 16, 2010], the situation described in the letter relates to inspections conducted in October after the plant was closed for enhanced cleaning and the flood in Atlanta that affected our facility. We have made a variety of enhancements in our facility, and have fully addressed all of the observations in the letter. We will be filing our response with the FDA to this effect shortly," Charles stated.
Last week, Kellogg President and Chief Executive Officer David Mackay reiterated Charles' comments when he told analysts at the 2010 Consumer Analyst Group of New York conference that contamination at the Atlanta plant has been resolved.
"All Eggo bakeries are now operational. We anticipate that inventories will be restored toward the end of the year," said Charles in an e-mail to AOL News.
"Rossville is fully operational. It's simply not producing at the same capacity as before. I'm sorry, but we don't disclose specific capacity figures for competitive reasons," Charles added.
Call it Eggonomics.
In addition to Atlanta and Rossville, Eggos are also manufactured at plants in Blue Anchor, N.J., and San Jose, Calif., in the heart of Silicon Valley, where Eggo made its debut more than half a century ago.
In 1953, brothers Tony, Sam and Frank Dorsa introduced to supermarkets frozen waffles, then called "Froffles."
An otherwise time-consuming breakfast staple turned toaster-quick was a big hit in a new world of vending machines, short-order restaurants and stay-at-home moms.
By 1955, the name changed to "Eggo" because of the waffle's "eggy" taste and recipe influenced by Cantonese "eggettes" or "egg puffs".
Kellogg's purchased the rights to the brand in the 1970s and fostered generations of Eggo addicts and "Leggo my Eggo" commercials.
Filed under: Nation, Money
Broderick Perkins Contributor
(Feb. 25) -- Kellogg's frozen waffle fans are going to have to "Leggo those Eggos" a little while longer than expected.
The nation's No. 1 brand of frozen waffles, Kellogg Co.'s Eggos, is going to remain in short supply because of delays in upgrading the largest of the company's Eggo-making facilities. Problems at the plant in Rossville, Tenn., are forcing the leading frozen waffle maker to put off full production until late this year.
Meanwhile, the breakfast staple is being rationed out to retailers based on past sales.
Half of all Eggo waffles are made at a plant in Rossville, Tenn., that is being upgraded.
Eggomaniacs who can't get their fill will have to try other brands, consider frozen pancakes or French toast, buy a waffle iron or just change their breakfast menu altogether until Eggos are back in full supply.
Nearly three out of four frozen waffles consumed, 73 percent, are Eggo waffles -- at least until last fall.
Battle Creek, Mich.-based Kellogg had originally planned to resume full production of frozen waffles early this year, but at Rossville, where half of all Eggos are produced, production has been curtailed due to "extensive equipment enhancements and repairs" that have dragged on longer than expected, according to Kris Charles, a Kellogg spokeswoman.
Production also slowed last September, after the Georgia Department of Agriculture found listeria monocytogenes in samples of the Eggo Buttermilk variety and stopped production at Kellogg Co.'s Atlanta plant.
Listeria monocytogenes are infectious bacteria that can cause mild gastrointestinal problems, but are rarely life threatening.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration follow-up inspections also found the bacteria and other unsafe food handling practices.
Just as the disinfected plant was due to fire back up, heavy rains caused flooding, forcing the facility to remain shut.
In a Jan. 27 letter not posted publicly until Feb. 16, the FDA said Kellogg's Nov. 18, 2009, response to inspectors' findings indicated the company had not fully addressed federal food safety compliance requirements.
But on Feb. 16, Charles told BakingBusiness.com that the FDA's letter was posted publicly long after Kellogg had corrected problems in the Atlanta plant, which reopened Oct. 21, 2009.
"While the FDA letter was filed publicly today [Feb. 16, 2010], the situation described in the letter relates to inspections conducted in October after the plant was closed for enhanced cleaning and the flood in Atlanta that affected our facility. We have made a variety of enhancements in our facility, and have fully addressed all of the observations in the letter. We will be filing our response with the FDA to this effect shortly," Charles stated.
Last week, Kellogg President and Chief Executive Officer David Mackay reiterated Charles' comments when he told analysts at the 2010 Consumer Analyst Group of New York conference that contamination at the Atlanta plant has been resolved.
"All Eggo bakeries are now operational. We anticipate that inventories will be restored toward the end of the year," said Charles in an e-mail to AOL News.
"Rossville is fully operational. It's simply not producing at the same capacity as before. I'm sorry, but we don't disclose specific capacity figures for competitive reasons," Charles added.
Call it Eggonomics.
In addition to Atlanta and Rossville, Eggos are also manufactured at plants in Blue Anchor, N.J., and San Jose, Calif., in the heart of Silicon Valley, where Eggo made its debut more than half a century ago.
In 1953, brothers Tony, Sam and Frank Dorsa introduced to supermarkets frozen waffles, then called "Froffles."
An otherwise time-consuming breakfast staple turned toaster-quick was a big hit in a new world of vending machines, short-order restaurants and stay-at-home moms.
By 1955, the name changed to "Eggo" because of the waffle's "eggy" taste and recipe influenced by Cantonese "eggettes" or "egg puffs".
Kellogg's purchased the rights to the brand in the 1970s and fostered generations of Eggo addicts and "Leggo my Eggo" commercials.
Filed under: Nation, Money