Damn, are we going to face a mustard shortage soon?

Just when you thought you finally knew where Abraham gets the mustard, it could suddenly happen that he’ll soon have to look for a new place of origin. France is facing a mustard shortage…

In the rather depressing list of looming (or already ongoing) shortages, which includes Sriracha (noooooo), there is now also a shortage of one of France’s most beloved products. Mustard; practically indispensable in our kitchen. What’s the story?

A bad year for Burgundy

Here too, the problem concerns raw materials and supply, for example due to harvests that failed because of climate change. Luc Vandermaesen is managing director of French mustard producer Reine de Dijon, and he explained it to the British newspaper The Guardian as follows:

“Burgundy had a very wet winter last year and three days of severe frost in April, so we were only able to harvest 48 percent of the mustard seeds we expected.” He also added that the war in Ukraine is affecting the availability of mustard, as the country is usually also a major exporter of mustard seeds.

Price increase

The price of mustard has risen by around 9 percent in France, and there are reports that residents complain they have to search as many as 25 shops before they can find “the good stuff.” As a hotdog lover, you may now be feeling worried, but according to several multinationals, things probably won’t get that bad.

A spokesperson for Kraft Heinz stated that as soon as these potential supply problems became known, they immediately began looking in other parts of the world for alternative mustard seed suppliers. Now let’s hope we also continue to have enough supply to keep making vinaigrettes and potato salad, and of course to slather over our hotdogs.

Also read:

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• The best thing for your bitterbal: homemade mustard!
• Ketchup is even more versatile than you think

Source: Food and Wine, image in article: Delilah on location