Extended Out-of-Stock Items

We continually work hard to make sure our shelves are fully stocked with the high-quality, nutritious food that you expect from us. In spite of our efforts, we are still waiting longer than normal for some of your favorite brands to be delivered. In an effort to keep you updated with the latest information, we’d like to share some of the primary factors that are currently preventing us from stocking some popular items.

The following are a few of the brands and types of items experiencing longer-term stocking challenges. 

• Frontier Coop cannot fulfill much of our bulk herb/spices orders.

• There is a nationwide shortage of pumpkin and right now we can't find any canned pumpkin. We do currently have fresh pie pumpkins available in produce.

• Fresh produce is impacted because of the fires in California and the resultant bad air quality that is keeping agricultural workers away.

• Many well known brands are severely challenged with production delays: Amy's, Pacific, Bob's Red Mill, Simply Organic herbs and spices, and others....

• Some canned food items such as tomatoes and beans. 

• Most items from India (Tasty Bite).

We will continue to monitor product availability and do our best to provide alternatives for long-term out-of-stock items.

We appreciate your patience and understanding during this time. We will have all of your favorites back in our stores as soon as we possibly can.

In Memory of Caroline Beebe

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Caroline Beebe on August 1st. A devoted Bloomingfoods supporter since the early days of the co-op, Caroline received the Bill Krejci Award in 2018 after her recent tenure on the Board of Directors. She was an inspirational leader and teacher and fondly remembered by many.

Click here to read Caroline’s obituary.

Where Did All The Groceries Go?

DEAR BLOOMINGFOODS OWNER-MEMBERS & SHOPPERS,

Although concerns about the overall health of the US food supply chain have mostly subsided, we are still experiencing longer-term out-of-stocks with some of your favorite brands. In an effort to keep you updated with the latest information, we’d like to share some of the primary factors that are creating these out-of-stocks. Additionally, we’d like to share a few of the brands and types of items with which we’re experiencing longer-term stocking challenges. 

The primary factors that have affected the availability of some of your favorite grocery items are:

• The initial stockpiling and panic buying led to “pipeline” shortages

• Transportation & distribution disruptions and delays

• Production and facility capacity is greatly reduced (production hours have changed, physical reconfiguration of some facilities for safer work experiences has slowed production and employee health concerns have altered shift work)

• At home cooking and eating while restaurants operate at reduced capacity results in increased consumer demand for in-store groceries

• Travel restrictions and agricultural distribution disruptions have curtailed the supplies of imported products (i.e. canned tomatoes)

• Shortage of raw materials (i.e. rice is harvested once annually and with the spike in demand, some reserves have been depleted until the next harvest in the fall.)

• Weather: the regional apple crop that we expected later this summer has been destroyed by late spring frosts

• The surplus of produce (fruits and vegetables) that would normally be sold to shuttered schools and restaurants is causing quality issues in warehouses across the country

• The whole agricultural sector is being affected by a shortage of seasonal workers

• State regulations regarding Hot Bar/Salad Bar/Buffet style services have dictated what we can and cannot offer (our Kitchen and Deli staff have implemented some creative solutions!)

These are a few of your favorite brands that are experiencing availability challenges:

• Amy’s Frozen foods

• Amy’s Canned soups

• Field Day (all categories)

• Seventh Generation cleaning supplies and paper goods

• Many varieties of tofu 

• Bob’s Red Mill

• Lundberg Family Farms rice

• Bubbies pickles (some varieties) and horseradish

• Applegate Farms frozen sausages

• Follow Your Heart Vegenaise

We are frequently communicating with representatives from our distributor, United Natural Foods, Inc. (UNFI) and will continue to monitor product availability and do our best to provide reasonable alternatives for long-term out-of-stocks. In spite of the difficulties of this pandemic, our mission still remains the same. We will continue to do everything we can to provide healthy, high quality, sustainable, and environmentally-sound products at a fair price to our community.

Thank you for your patience and understanding. 

Sincerely,

The Bloomingfoods Team

Thank You From Habitat for Humanity of Monroe County

Dear all our friends at Bloomingfoods,

Thank you for helping build Positive Change in our community. It is hard to put into words the emotions we are all experiencing as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to upend our work and our daily lives. As we face the challenges ahead, we are so grateful for the impact made by Bloomingfoods’ patrons through your Positive Change program. As we restart our construction program, we will put this gift right to work helping families seeking safe and affordable shelter in Monroe County. We feel doubly blessed for the anonymous matching gift in our benefit during the first week of June - we are so happy to be part of such a kind and caring community! Habitat for Humanity has always been a community-based organization, and we will continue to offer our hand to the hardworking families in Monroe County who need it most. With your partnership, we stand ready to accelerate efforts to build strength and stability with renewed energy and commitment. Thank you to everyone at Bloomingfoods for helping Habitat families to move forward in the face of challenging times.

In partnership,

Colleen McKenna Development
Director, Habitat for Humanity of Monroe County