PORTLAND, Ore. — The holidays may not be so sweet this year.
Nestle — which sells nearly all the canned pumpkin in the U.S. — says poor weather hurt its harvest, creating a potential shortage of its Libby’s pumpkin pie products through the holidays.
In a statement to customers this week, Nestle said heavy rains made it nearly impossible to pick its pumpkins during this year’s harvest.
The longer the pumpkins sit in the muddy fields, the more they deteriorate. As a result, Nestle said this week that it would not pack any more pumpkins this year, which means it may be hard to find its canned pumpkin and pumpkin pie filling product until next year’s harvest.
“Mother nature had other plans for us,” the company said in an open apology to customers online.
Nestle is the largest national brand for canned pumpkin products, with 80 percent to 90 percent of the market, it said. The Associated Press
