Our Long Dark Winter Of Grape Nuts Shortages Is Over! [Updated]
Update March 24, 2021: We are happy to inform all of you that the Grape-Nuts shortage is officially over, according to a press release from Post Consumer Brands. The cereal is back and being shipped at full capacity, and in a kind gesture, Post will reimburse die-hard fans who paid inflated prices for boxes on the secondary market, which is a dicey place to buy cereal, if you ask me. One box reached up to $110, according to the press release.
"It became abundantly clear during the shortage that Grape-Nuts fans are 'Nuts for Grape-Nuts,'" said Grape-Nuts brand manager Kristin DeRock in the press release. "So much so that some of our loyal super fans were willing to pay extreme prices just to ensure they wouldn't be without their favorite crunchy cereal. As a way to show our appreciation and thank these fans for their dedication, we want to repay the love by reimbursing them."
Any of you Grape-Nuts lovers who paid $10 and up for a box of Grape-Nuts Original cereal between November 1, 2020, through March 15, 2021, can submit a valid retailer or online retailer receipt for a partial refund of up to $115, at this link, but you have to do it by April 15, 2021. There are more details about the refund and rules here.
Original post January 29, 2021: I haven't been paying as close attention to shortages lately, and now there are consequences. Sorry, Grape-Nuts fanatics, I didn't know you were struggling to find your favorite cereal.
Apparently people have been turning to cereal heavily during the pandemic, to the point that some manufacturers are struggling to meet demand. USA Today reports that people are even commiserating over at Reddit about it. But why Grape-Nuts specifically? Other cereals seem to be doing okay.
Well, as Grape-Nuts brand manager Kristin DeRock told USA Today in a statement, the tiny crunchy cereal nubbins are made with "proprietary technology and a production process that isn't easily replicated, which has made it more difficult to shift production to meet demand during this time." This makes sense, since Grape-Nuts have such a distinct shape and texture. Who knew this would happen?
The issue extends to the Grape Nut Flakes product as well (apparently I live under a rock because I had no idea these existed until now). Fret no more, my friends, as the flakes have recovered and should have hit grocery store shelves by now, and the original Grape Nut pebbles will be "fully back on store shelves" by spring, according to DeRock.
Die-hard customers enjoy Grape-Nuts for their own reasons. Ana Sandoval from Sacramento, California, eats the the cereal almost every day to help with a medical issue that requires iron in her diet.
"By eating Grape-Nuts, I can get most of my daily iron allotment without the nasty side effects of iron pills," Sandoval told USA Today. "Unlike many people who consider Grape-Nuts to be another form of gravel, I like the crunch and the taste." Another customer, Laurel Zito, buys it to eat now and then, but she also uses it to feed birds by her home.
"The doves do eat birdseed so it's okay with them but they really like these Grape-Nuts a lot and if I don't give it to them they actually sit outside my patio and look at me really sad," Zito said. So come springtime, the doves and humans will get what they need, and Grape-Nuts will retake their rightful place on grocery shelves. But until then, you might need to be a little patient.