I'm a professional baker and the butter shortage has me worried

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Indiana baker forced to alter recipes amid inflation, shortages

Sassie Cakes owner Krysta Young joined 'Fox & Friends First' to discuss how various economic woes have impacted her ability to do business ahead of the holidays. 

The food industry and bakeries like mine have taken a beating since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic. Many professionals have had to close their businesses, reimagine how to sell their products, manage supply shortages and even more prevalent, manage food shortages.

The most recent problem facing those of us in the food industry and more specifically bakeries is the current butter shortage. Butter prices for me personally have increased about 30-50%. 

This is not only a problem from a cost perspective but it has caused some issues with keeping our products consistent. The butter we usually use is either not available or not available in the quantities we need it. 

I’m worried there might be a time when I’m stuck and unable to purchase what I need which will cause me to have to turn down business because of this. 

US FACING BUTTER SHORTAGE AHEAD OF HOLIDAYS

This has been a major challenge for us. We have been forced to adjust recipes, change some recipes all together and in some cases, remove items from our menu. 

Krysta E. Young has owned Sassie Cakes in Fort Wayne, Indiana since 2011. It is a family-owned and operated bakery, specializing in high-end wedding cakes, special occasion cakes. They have a "sweets boutique" in downtown Fort Wayne. Sassie Cakes has received several local awards for best wedding cakes and have been featured in magazines and online publications such as "Wedding Day" magazine and "Green Wedding Shoes."

The butter shortage comes at a particularly bad time since we are moving into the holidays and our demand increases and more people will be baking at home. 

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I’m worried there might be a time when I’m stuck and unable to purchase what I need which will cause me to have to turn down business because of this. 

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We are already not able to take last minute orders which has been a problem in our community. We really have to plan ahead to make sure we have all of the supplies we need to ensure we aren’t left stranded. 

I’m not sure what has caused the butter shortage but I can assume it’s a staffing shortage and a reduced production of milk. This is also coming after a recent egg shortage. The price of eggs surged about a year ago due to bird flu. The price of eggs has stayed elevated for well over a year. 

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Luckily we have a lot of very loyal customers that have been very understanding of our price increases and changes in our products. 

We hope we continue to have their support along with the support of the community with the ever-changing economic demands.