Is There a Shortage of Friskies Wet Cat Food in 2022?
Friskies wet cat food seems to be in short supply amid the canned pet food shortage. Why is there a shortage of Friskies wet cat food?
Jan. 21 2022, Published 9:14 a.m. ET
There have been intermittent reports of shortages of several food products for humans and pets. Pet owners across the U.S. have been struggling to buy certain food for their pets. Specifically, Friskies wet cat food seems to be in short supply. Why is there a shortage of Friskies wet cat food?
About a month ago, the consensus was that the food shortage situation would get better in 2022. However, things haven't gotten any better, and if anything, the situation is worse.
Is there a nationwide shortage of cat food?
The reports of a canned cat food shortage aren't new and pet owners have been complaining about it for months. As with other food product shortages, the global supply chain woes are at play in the canned cat food shortage as well.
Also, a shortage of packaging materials has made things complicated for canned cat food companies. The driver shortage means that when companies produce products, it takes longer than usual to reach retail stores. Finally, as we saw in the initial days of the COVID-19 pandemic, people seem to be hoarding essential supplies.
While that’s the usual consumer behavior, especially because a lot of people couldn't source the desired products during the lockdowns in 2020, it puts pressure on the food shortage situation.
Purina makes Friskies wet cat food.
Friskies wet cat food is made by Purina, which is owned by Nestle, the Switzerland-based global food and beverage company. In October 2021, while announcing the sales data for the first nine months of 2021, Nestle said that Purina PetCare sales showed strong momentum during the period and that sales were up in double digits.
However, Purina talked about supply chain issues in North America and said that Purina PetCare sales rose in the high single digits. The growth rate in North America was lower than other major regions, which saw strong double-digit growth.
Purina said that some products are in short supply.
If you try looking for Friskies wet cat food on Purina’s website, the company has a message. It says, “Due to unprecedented levels of demand as a consequence of the COVID-19 outbreak, retailers in some locations may be struggling to meet normal levels of supply and delivery.”
Also, when searching for Friskies wet cat food on retailers' websites, you will find that some of the varieties are out of stock. For example, only the salmon flavor of Purina Friskies Extra Gravy Chunky Wet Cat Food was available on Target’s website. The Beef, Chicken, and Turkey flavors were out of stock.
Purina wet cat food is available on Amazon.
While the availability of Purina wet cat food at retail stores looks limited, it's available on Amazon. However, the delivery times for some of the flavors are longer than usual.
The shortages of packaged food products, both for human consumption as well as pets, are running at higher than usual levels. Talking specifically of Purina cat food products, the shortage is acute at the stores compared to online shopping at Amazon.