Lovers of Corn Flakes, Rice Krispies and other Frosted Flakes have sometimes had to resign themselves for a few weeks to find another option for lunch. Due to a strike called in early October involving 1,400 workers at four Kellogg’s factories in the United States, supermarkets here are struggling to offer a variety of products marketed by the American company.
A glimmer of hope, however, for those who can hardly do without their morning bowl of cereal: the conflict could end on December 5. An agreement in principle was reached between the two parties on Wednesday. Workers represented by the International Union of Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco and Milling Workers (BCTM) will vote on Sunday. However, supply delays could take a few weeks to resolve.
Meanwhile, Franck Henot, co-owner of Intermarché Boyer on avenue du Mont-Royal, confirms that “there are certain products that Kellogg’s no longer provides”. “Corn Flakes, Frosted Flakes, we can’t have them anymore,” he said. To avoid having empty spaces on his shelves, the grocer temporarily changed his planograms to compensate with cereal boxes produced by other companies.
Mr. Henot is not the only one to experience this situation. “It is true that grocery retailers are seeing a difficulty in sourcing this brand’s products,” said Francis Mailly, director of government relations for the Retail Council of Canada (RCC), which represents several large chains such as Metro, IGA, Loblaws, Walmart and Costco.
Some modifications had to be made; some products have been temporarily delisted and promotions have been adjusted.
Francis Mailly
For its part, Kellogg’s, in a statement, said it hoped to know the result of the vote early at the beginning of next week. “We remain determined to overcome any potential impact on our Canadian operations and have been implementing contingency plans for some time to mitigate supply disruptions, for its part assured a spokesperson for the company, in an official statement sent by email to Press. Meeting our commitments to customers and consumers will depend on a variety of factors, including the duration and severity of the strike, the effectiveness of our contingency plans and the demand for our products. ”
Local purchase
Stéphane Lacasse, director of public affairs and government relations for the Association of Food Retailers of Quebec (ADA), of which more than 1000 grocery stores and convenience stores are members, sees this as a good opportunity to opt for local products for lunch. .
Kellogg’s is on strike in the United States. There are repercussions in Quebec, of course. But for the consumer, there are still other products in store. There are other providers.
Stephane Lacasse
“We should perhaps think about it,” he said, alluding to food autonomy. There may be [entreprises] who will see it as an opportunity. ”
Remember that the conflict involving workers at the Battle Creek (Michigan), Omaha (Nebraska), Lancaster (Pennsylvania) and Memphis (Tennessee) factories has been going on since October 5.
“For over a year, throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Kellogg’s workers across the country have worked long, hard hours, day in and day out, to produce Kellogg’s ready-to-eat cereal for families American ”, one could read in a press release published by the BCTM, at the time of the start of the strike.
“Kellogg’s response to these loyal employees has been to demand that they forgo quality health care, retirement benefits and paid time off. The company continues to threaten to send more jobs to Mexico if workers do not accept outrageous proposals that remove protections they have enjoyed for decades. ”
Several brands of cereals, soft bars and crackers, such as Froot Loops, Corn Flakes, Nutri-Grain, Kellogg’s Club and Pop Tarts, are produced by the multinational headquartered in Battle Creek, Mich.