I scream, you scream: Global shortage of Cadbury flakes spells trouble for 99 ice creams

If you’re not sitting down as you read this, then I recommend you do so before proceeding. Ready? I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news but I’m afraid the rumours are true – apparently, our beloved 99s could be at risk this summer as there’s a global shortage of flakes. Bet you weren’t expecting me to say that. 

Speaking on RTÉ’s Today with Claire Byrne earlier this week, Yasmin Khan, co-owner of Teddy’s Ice Cream in Dun Laoghaire confirmed the news, commenting that supplies are dangerously low at the minute and “it will be tough” to get one this summer (she forecasts the shortage will be noticeable by mid-July). 

Receiving prior warning of the “worldwide shortage” from Mondelez (the company that owns Cadbury) at the beginning of April, Yasmin was quick to assure customers that “Teddy’s has enough 99s, we will always supply you with a 99”. Squirrelling supplies away since they were first made aware of the shortage, she said “I even have them hidden under my bed. Honest to God, we’ve had to stockpile and just be really tough, saying ‘sorry we cannot supply anyone else with them’. I have them hidden in my house, I have them hidden in storerooms, I have them everywhere.”

Also hypothesising as to the reason behind the shortage, Yasmin thinks that it’s probably because Cadbury didn’t expect ice cream shops to be open and so chocolate factories didn’t account for there being much demand for 99s as a result.  

The top-selling ice cream cone any time there’s a bit of sunshine, it’s hard to beat a classic. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it as the saying goes, and somehow we just don’t think anything else would work in place of a flake… so let’s hope supplies recover fairly lively. 

Feature image by Sarah Finnan