Matzo Shortage of 2008

The Matzo shortage of 2008 was a large scale crisis that struck the United States of America between the months of March and April. Though the numbers have never been officially gathered, its said that the catastrophe left thousands Jews Matzo-less for the celebration of the widely popular Jewish holiday of Passover.

Causes

A number of ideas have been brought up to explain the shortage. Some blame depressed production, while others point the finger at local grocers claiming that they did not correctly plan for an uprise in Jewish observance of the holiday. Another theory is the loss of outlets carrying the product may have affected the communities more than was foreseen. Trader Joes chose not to carry the product for the year of 2008, citing a re-evaluation as their reasoning. Cost-co pulled the product for the year of 2008 as well “It’s not a huge item for us, said a Costco spokesman, Bob Nelson.^[1] Extremists hold Trader Joes and Cost-co as the responsible parties because of the upset market.

Impact

A number of chain grocery stores were reported to have run dry including Safeway, Whole Foods, Lunardi's, Lucky and Mollie Stone. Even specialty Jewish food stores were said to have been all tapped out. Local Jewish organizations were outraged by the incident. The Jewish Community Center of San Francisco said "It appears there's been a huge disconnect between the Bay Area grocery community and the Bay Area Jewish community in terms of supply and demand." "I've spoken to a lot of folks who are kind of at their wits' end,"^[2] Grocery madness ensued in the days following Passover night. As one Jewish woman tells her account “I ran with my hands in the air, pumping the box in my hand saying, ‘I got the last box of matzo!’ ”^[3]

References

1. ^ Steinhauer, Jennifer (22 April 2008). "It’s Passover. Who’s Hiding the Matzo?". NY TIMES ONLINE (Nytimes.com). http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/22/us/22matzo.html. Retrieved 14 March 2011. 
2. ^ Nick, McMaster. "Matzo Shortage Plagues Passover in Calif.". Newser staff. Newser.com. http://www.newser.com/story/25309/matzo-shortage-plagues-passover-in-calif.html. 
3. ^ Jennifer, Steinhauer (22 April 2008). "It’s Passover. Who’s Hiding the Matzo?". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/22/us/22matzo.html. 

http://articles.sfgate.com/2008-04-22/bay-area/17146112_1_matzo-trader-joe-grocery-stores http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/22/us/22matzo.html http://www.newser.com/story/25309/matzo-shortage-plagues-passover-in-calif.html