Thanksgiving is just around the corner and the main point of attraction as the family sits down for this annual, traditional meal is the turkey of course. However, turkey producer Butterball is warning of potential shortages.
Butterball said its poultry had trouble gaining weight on some of its farms, but did not explain why. The company told retailers that their orders for fresh turkeys 16 pounds and bigger have been cut in half according to a press release from Big Y Foods Inc., a grocery chain in Massachusetts and Connecticut.
Butterball produces around 20 percent of the US's turkeys and 1.3 billion pounds of turkey meat a year. On Thanksgiving, nearly 1 out of every 4 turkeys consumed is a Butterball bird.
"We experienced a decline in weight gains on some of our farms causing a limited availability of large, fresh turkeys," Stephanie Llorente, a spokeswoman for Butterball, said in a written statement Friday, according to the Los Angeles Times. "While we are continuing to evaluate all potential causes, we are working to remedy the issue. We sincerely regret the inconvenience that some of our customers have experienced as a result of this issue."
However, there is a generous supple of smaller turkeys and frozen Butterballs have not been affected by the bird's lack of weight gain, and other brands like Cargill or Farbest Foods have not reported any production problem.
Thanksgiving falls on Thursday, Nov. 28 and is followed by the biggest shopping day of the year, Black Friday.
