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Harriet Brewis
May 18, 2021
The summer staple is in jeopardy thanks to a surge in demand
Getty Images/iStockphoto
It’s not exactly ice cream weather in the UK at the moment but we Brits are a sturdy lot.
The wind, rain and even thunder haven’t been enough to dampen our taste for that iconic summer treat –the Cadbury 99 Flake.
In fact, demand for the soft-serve ice cream combo has been so great over recent weeks that it’s left the country with a dearth in supplies of the crumbly chocolate toppers.
"We are seeing a recent increase in demand for our Cadbury 99 Flake in the UK and Ireland that we had not expected," Cadbury owner Mondelez said.
The shortage has aroused alarm on social media, with some Twitter users suggesting a Flake-free summer wouldn’t be worth easing lockdown for, while other, more optimistic, sweet tooths have come up with contingency plans:
As you can see, the despair has been real:
We officially got 99 problems https://t.co/iBlpysJvft— Lara Jackson (@Lara Jackson) 1621286443
Oh great, that’s summer as good as cancelled https://t.co/o6K8TxEIcE— Matt Singh (@Matt Singh) 1621283627
TOO FAR 2021, too far. https://t.co/n7ozrk3Udd— Sara Neill (@Sara Neill) 1621282103
Without 99 flakes, what is the point of summer? We might as well stay in lockdown until they’re back. #FlakeShortage https://t.co/KJyoLoc3vT— Cat | Witty Walks (@Cat | Witty Walks) 1621320985
2020 was the great toilet roll shortage, looks like 2021 is the great Cadbury's 99 Flake shortage. #Cadbury— Dave Holt (@Dave Holt) 1621285493
But some resourceful chocaholics have tried to come up with stopgaps:
Talker: We could try Wispas instead? #TalkerEssentials #Radio #RadioEssentials • content and services for radio pe… https://t.co/9RGH9BtJsi— Radio Essentials (@Radio Essentials) 1621276268
There's apparently a 99 Flake shortage. It's finally my time to shine. Or Twirl's, but I shall take credit. https://t.co/LA75muFU1D— Ghausia (@Ghausia) 1621285239
Waiting for @AldiUK to release a 98 Flake in response to the Cadbury 99 crisis #FlakeShortage— Claire 💙 (@Claire 💙) 1621290598
Replace flakes in '99s' with Curly Wurlys. Job done. #FlakeShortage— Alex Big Dog Cann 🐟 (@Alex Big Dog Cann 🐟) 1621320543
So there's a shortage of the half-size (!) Flake chocolates used in 99 ice creams over here in Britain - no matter,… https://t.co/GXTZCESQZs— Elliott Draper (@Elliott Draper) 1621282812
Maybe it’s time to replace the Flake with a Kinder Bueno? 👀 https://t.co/NQKN68xzXT— Gaydio (@Gaydio) 1621321144
Others have pointed out more obvious solutions:
(Just to clarify, the ice cream toppers you get from an ice cream van or parlour are half the size of the Flakes sold in shops.)
@NewsForAllUK @BBCNews So there is a shortage of 99 flakes, which are half the size of a normal flake, of which the… https://t.co/nWgon75nCZ— ♦️ Cathy ♦️ (@♦️ Cathy ♦️) 1621276190
Every mum I know sorted the problem of not having mini Flakes available decades ago by simply breaking a Flake in t… https://t.co/jOYT2s6pAm— 💉 alt - DUP (@💉 alt - DUP) 1621273813
Meanwhile, one hospitality worker took the opportunity to revive the world’s favourite meme generator – the Ever Given:
(Another FYI: most of the 99 Flakes sold in Britain are made in a factory in Egypt, with some also arriving from a facility in Coolock in Ireland, the BBC reports.)
As seen recently in Dun Laoghaire 🙃 https://t.co/tKfQczFa89 https://t.co/kW0xUbgoCx— Örla Ryan (@Örla Ryan) 1621234731
Still, there’s hope for anyone with a bit of extra cash who’s really desperate...
Absolute steal. #FlakeShortage https://t.co/DbZXjBfDxK— Tony Cuddihy (@Tony Cuddihy) 1621242497
Flake shortage you say! not in my #99s there won’t🍦 https://t.co/drGmFjBfMa https://t.co/bbRu3w0l50— some like it DOT 💋 (@some like it DOT 💋) 1621284047
Mondelez has not said how long it expects the shortage – which is only thought to be affecting the UK and Ireland – to last.
However in a statement, the company said: "The product is still available to order and we’re continuing to work closely with our customers."
All we can say is, Cadbury better keep its eye on it’s Twirl supplies...
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