
The holidays are just around the corner, but there may be an ingredient missing from your fridge. Like so many other items we’ve lost in recent years, it seems time for butter to become the “toilet paper” of the 2022 holiday season.
Why is there a looming shortage of butter? Finance and trade experts offer several reasons for the decline in availability.
What’s causing the possible butter shortage?
Sal Stile is the founder and president of Alba Wheels Up International, a leading international shipping and customs clearance company based in New York. “The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reports that butter stocks in October 2022 are 22 percent lower than they were in October 2021,” Stile told Yahoo Lifestyle. “A significant factor is that with rising feed costs and continued labor shortages, some dairy farmers are exiting the industry altogether, leading to continued downward revisions to [USDA] milk production estimates for 2023.”
While that’s part of the problem, other experts say labor shortages and transportation costs are to blame. the dairy industry and its supply chain are not immune to labor shortages,” said Robert Alberghine, CEO of Global Smart Commodity Group. “Combined with logistics and transportation costs, it’s affecting the production and transportation of butter.”
Jennifer Onoja is senior category manager for KeHE Distributors, one of the largest distributors of fresh, natural, organic and specialty foods in the United States. She says her customers haven’t been affected by the forecasted shortage.
“Beginning in September, KeHE proactively sent out forecasts to the company’s supplier partners in preparation for a surge in demand and estimated shortages, which included forecasts for the holidays,” she said. “At this time, no issues have been expressed by current suppliers.”
Companies such as Minerva Dairy of Minerva, Ohio, also have not identified a potential problem with butter shortages. “Minerva Dairy is managing the butter shortage better than the industry standard,” said Venae Watts, a fifth-generation butter maker. “We are fulfilling orders even as the holidays approach and supply chain issues are tightening throughout the industry.”
“While most butter makers are feeling the pressure of the ingredient supply chain, Minerva Dairy is in a unique position as a cheese and butter creamer,” she explains. “Minerva Dairy produces cheese as an ingredient for food manufacturers, and when cheese is produced, the by-product is butter. As a result, we have our own supply of raw materials for butter production.”
If there is a shortage of your favorite brand, Watts suggests that consumers try another butter that may still fit their recipe. “Buy the butter you can find,” she says. “Consumers may see holes in the shelves, but not all of the butter is going away.”
What to use instead of butter …… if you can’t find it
“It’s easy for chefs to use butter as a crutch to make great food,” says Trevor Notts Richmond Restaurant Group’s corporate executive chef.
“But something like premium extra virgin olive oil is a perfect example of how there are other ways to add fat and richness to a dish that are better – or sometimes better and lighter – than butter. ” he added.
A personal chef who has worked with many high-profile clients, from Barack Obama to Steve Harvey, Kay Chase says she has been recommending alternatives to clients looking to reduce their butter consumption for years.
“One of my favorite substitutes is mashed avocados,” Chase said. “In addition to being an excellent source of vitamins, minerals and healthy fats, it’s great for baking. Vegan raw coconut oil is another substitute that works like butter in most recipes and is a good option for those with dairy allergies.”
And you don’t have to substitute another ingredient for butter: on TikTok, users are buying hand mixers to make their own butter or churning up a batch of homemade butter stand mixers in their rooms. While a shortage of butter seems imminent, there are plenty of alternative options if one knows where to look …… or how to churn it themselves.