Expect Eggo Shortages Through Mid-2010

Forget “Lego my Eggo!” Kellogg’s new marketing slogan for the popular frozen waffle could be, “Excuse me, have you seen my Eggo?”

That’s because flooding in its Atlanta facility and repairs to its Tennessee plant will result in Eggo shortages that could last through mid-2010, according to Bloomberg.com .

Kellogg’s spokeswoman Kris Charles informed Bloomberg that “we are working around the clock to restore Eggo store inventories to normal levels as quickly as possible.”

If that weren’t bad enough, in September the Georgia Department of Agriculture found Listeria monocytogenes in a sample of Kellogg's Buttermilk Eggo Waffles manufactured at the company’s Atlanta plant.

The product was not shipped into the marketplace, according to FDA.gov . Kellogg’s voluntarily recalled a limited number of the following products produced in the same facility:

Kellogg's® Eggo® Cinnamon Toast waffles, 10-count package, UPC code 3800040440 with Best If Used Before" dates beginning with:NOV22 10 EA, NOV23 10 EA and NOV24 10 EA.
Kellogg's® Eggo® Toaster Swirlz™ Cinnamon Roll Minis eight-count package, UPC code 3800023370 with a "Best If Used Before" date beginning with NOV15 10 EA.

Food contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes can cause listeriosis, an uncommon but potentially serious disease. The most common manifestation of listeriosis is meningitis, which has symptoms of high fever, severe headache, neck stiffness and nausea. Listeriosis can also cause miscarriages and stillbirths, as well as serious and sometimes fatal infections to infants, the elderly and those with weakened immune systems such as persons with chronic diseases or taking chemotherapy for cancer.