Global mustard shortage looms ahead of summer barbecues

Yes, but: A few of the largest mustard brands in the U.S. — Kraft Heinz (think Heinz and Grey Poupon) and McCormick & Co. (French’s) — told Axios that they don't expect shortages of their products in the U.S. ahead of July 4th barbecues and National Hot Dog Month.

What they're saying: "McCormick & Company is not experiencing shortages of mustard seed which we attribute to our resilient global supply chain and strong sourcing capabilities," company spokesperson Lori Amos Robinson said in a statement to Axios. "French's Mustard will be on store shelves for consumers to enjoy."

• "Currently, we do not predict Grey Poupon will experience any major gaps in service," Kraft Heinz told Axios, noting brown mustard seed is one of the main ingredients in the mustard.
• "As soon as our cross-functional Grey Poupon team identified a potential supply issue, we immediately worked to identify other sources of brown mustard seed in different parts of the world," the company said.

Meanwhile, inflation has led to a 10.1% increase in the prices of "spices, seasonings, condiments, sauces" in the last year, according to the latest Consumer Price Index.

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