Grinch gobbles Christmas

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This article was published 03/12/2021 (1119 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The pandemic has gobbled up some of this holiday season’s turkey supply, leaving grocers short-stocked and worried about having enough for customers.

“This is the worst year,” said Ed Cantor, owner of Cantor’s Quality Meats and Groceries. “(We’ve) never seen this problem ever occur.”

On Wednesday, Cantor estimated he was waiting on 20 per cent of his usual turkey supply — about 480 of 2,400 Christmastime birds. Most missing are fresh 5 to 7 kg types, popular at family gatherings.

“You pre-book your turkeys, and you usually get them ahead, every year,” Cantor said.

He orders local: Granny’s and Butterball items are largely raised, and can be processed, in Manitoba. Exceldor, a Quebec-based company, now produces both brands, after merging with Granny’s Poultry in 2020.

Cantor has Granny’s turkeys. He’s also getting Butterball, for a higher price — but, he doesn’t know if he’ll see the last portion of his order.

“It’s upsetting,” he said. “Everybody needs sales, and you rely on the product, and you can’t get it.”

Customers are best to order early if they want a fresh bird, Cantor said.

Munther Zeid, the owner of Food Fare, said he’s also waiting to hear how many fresh turkeys he’ll have for the holidays.

“Right now, everything’s so up in the air, it’s ridiculous,” he said. “I’ve never experienced a year where suppliers will phone and go, ‘We will have nothing this year.’”

Food Fare normally offers over 3,000 fresh turkeys during the holidays, Zeid said, adding the stores have received plenty of pre-orders from shoppers.

He said Exceldor informed him they’d only provide Butterball frozen turkeys; no Granny’s.

“We’re hoping to get what we ordered,” Zeid said.

Exceldor is processing “essentially (the) same number of turkeys now as we did two years ago,” according to Jordan Ouellet, the co-operative’s communications and public relations advisor.

The number of turkeys being produced and shipped to Manitoba retailers is confidential, Ouellet said in an email. But, sales are about the same as in the past, he said.

‘I’ve never experienced a year where suppliers will phone and go, ‘We will have nothing this year.’’– Munther Zeid, owner of Food Fare

Canada’s turkey industry is supply-chain managed, and production levels are set nationally.

In the early stages of the pandemic, production of 10 million kilograms of turkey was cut cross-country, said Helga Wheddon, the general manager of Manitoba Turkey Producers. About three to four months ago, five million kilograms went back into production nationwide.

“We (had) decreased production to react to COVID-19, and what we thought was going to occur during COVID-19 — less family gatherings, less consumption of deli products,” Wheddon said.

Producers have since seen the demand return, but ramping up the number of birds reaching stores takes time. Turkeys require about 16 weeks to raise, Wheddon said.

“There’s still turkey out there,” she said. “It depends, as a consumer, what you want.”

Manitobans could wait for sales or look for frozen products, Wheddon said. However, people who find their desired type may be best buying right away.

There’s less market supply than last year and 2019, but it’s because of pre-planned reductions in processing — not increased feed prices or other factors, Wheddon said.

There should be more turkeys available in Manitoba in the coming weeks, she said.

gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com