Dog-gone Supply Problems! Morningstar Farms Leaves Vegetarians Feeling Empty
While my wife is the only true vegetarian in the Dominick household, all of us eat many meatless meals and we endeavor to support cruelty-free agriculture. So, one of the staples you'll find in our freezer are Morningstar Farms' Veggie Dogs.
Well, I should say one of the staples you'll usually find. We haven't been able to find any Veggie Dogs anywhere lately, so our freezer has an empty space at the moment.
With a little research, my wife came upon a page on Morningstar Farms' Web site that says: "SORRY ABOUT THE DOG DELAY...We're sorry that Morningstar Farms® America's Original Veggie Dogs and corn dog varieties are temporarily out of stock. Supply issues have delayed production, and we do not yet have a specific date for the products' return to stores."
Ooh, supply issues! Time to investigate! Was this out-of-stock situation due to:
- A supplier going out of business?
- A Force Majeure event?
- Supplier production and delivery problems (a.k.a. poor management at the supplier's plant)?
- Quality rejections?
- Poor supply chain planning on the part of Morningstar Farms?
- A buyer-supplier dispute (perhaps due to something like the buyer failing to pay invoices on time)?
It could be any number of things. What was it?
I tried to get to the heart of the matter by contacting Morningstar Farms' PR firm and trying to arrange to speak with a Morningstar Farms representative. This, I thought, would be a good way for Morningstar Farms to get a positive message out to their customers as well as to provide an opportunity for readers of this blog to learn about handling a supply crisis in the real world.
After all, I am a devoted Morningstar Farms customer. I wanted to give them an opportunity to put their spin on this uncomfortable situation.
Unfortunately, all I got back was cut-and-pasted PR-speak that certainly didn't do Morningstar Farms any favors. The email said: "As you know, the MorningStar Farms America’s Original Veggie Dogs are temporarily out of stock at this time, due to a supply issue that has delayed production. We are continuing to work through this issue and hope to have the product back in stores as quickly as possible."
I gave them another opportunity to elaborate - after all, this sweep-it-under-the-carpet response was less than appetizing - but they declined.
While I understand that no company wants to reveal its weaknesses to a competitor, sometimes it is more important to be upfront with the constituency that matters more - your customers. Instead of doing this, Morningstar Farms' veil of secrecy and lack of a timeline will certainly compel their customers to source from Morningstar competitors sooner rather than later. And that, my friends, is an even better result for those competitors.
If executives can't understand how good procurement can create a competitive advantage, perhaps they can at least see how bad procurement (and bad PR) can create a competitive disadvantage. If that doesn't give them heartburn, I don't know what will.
To Your Career,
Charles Dominick, SPSM
President & Chief Procurement Officer
Next Level Purchasing, Inc.
Struggling To Have A Rewarding Purchasing Career?
Earn Your SPSM® Certification Online At
http://www.NextLevelPurchasing.com
posted by Charles Dominick, SPSM @ 10:40 AM
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11 Comments:
Thank you - my husband and I are missing the Veggie Dogs tremendously. I, too, was disappointed in the "cut and paste" email I received in response to my inquiry about the products. I hope someone from the company reads your post...
This is probably the reason for the "supply" problem at the co-manufacturer:
http://www.mclaneco.com/www/AnonDocs/McLaneco/RecallNotices/MorningStarFarmsRecallNotice.pdf
Here's the devastating response they sent me:Ms. Kill,
Thank you for contacting us regarding Morningstar Farms® America's Original Veggie Dogs. It’s always great to hear from consumers who are trying to find our products because it lets us know how much you enjoy them.
We are sorry to tell you that this product was discontinued. We understand that you enjoyed Morningstar Farms® America's Original Veggie Dogs, but unfortunately, stores only want to stock the fastest moving products. If the stores start to discontinue an item, we find we cannot produce the smaller volumes the business demands. It is always difficult for us to make the decision to discontinue a product, as we know it is always someone's favorite. At this time, there are no plans to reintroduce it.
We know that it will be hard to find a replacement, but we are always developing new products so we are sure that you will soon find another favorite! We suggest trying Worthington® Loma Linda Linketts® protein links and are sending you a coupon to use towards the purchase. Please allow 7-10 business days for delivery.
Please be assured that your wish to have this product back on store shelves has been shared with the appropriate department. We appreciate your interest and loyalty to our brands and trust that we will continue to meet your needs for many years to come.
Sincerely,
Nancy Lopez
Consumer Affairs Department
Kellogg's lied to us. First they said it was TEMPORARILY out of stock, due to a supply problem. What? A shortage of soybeans? NOT. They said the product would be coming back. Now they blame it on low sales. I think they are liars and I think we ought to email them and call them liars. It would not surprise me if this was related to the recall I posted earlier. Perhaps the cost of bringing the "co-manufacturer's" plant up to standards is too high for their PROFIT needs. Perhaps their "co-manufacturer" is going to make their own dogs.
I am really pissed. There is no decent substitute. Maybe we all ought to take their ingredient list and try to concoct our own veggie dogs and start a business.
One thing I would do differently is to individually wrap each dog, so that they could be separated, and you wouldn't have to defrost the whole package. (I used to defrost, separate, and refreeze...a hassle.)
Hmmm...if the Veggie Dogs have been discontinued, I wonder why they are not on Morningstar's discontinued products list at http://www.morningstarfarms.com/store_finder.aspx yet
Since you have a blog, you are part of the "media", right?
How about contacting Kellogg's media relations and insisting on an honest answer? media.hotline@kellogg.com
Here's something suspcious. When you add a case of these to your cart at http://www.foodservicedirect.com, you're told that it's in stock. How can that be?!! If they didn't require a minimum purchase of 3 bulk items, I'd make room in my freezer for 10 Veggie Dog packs--my family really misses them!
I just got confirmation yesterday, similar to Amanda's:
Thank you for contacting us about Morningstar Farms® America's Original Veggie Dogs. We are happy to know that you enjoy them.
We are sorry to tell you that our Morningstar Farms® Veggie Dog products including Morningstar Farms® America's Original Veggie Dogs, Morningstar Farms® Corn Dogs, Morningstar Farms® Mini Corn dogs, and Morningstar Farms® Corn Dogs Made with Natural Ingredients have been discontinued.
Our veggie dogs have been out of stock for several months due to supplier issues. Unfortunately, we have not been able to secure an appropriate facility to manufacture them. It is always difficult for us to make the decision to discontinue a product, as we know it is always someone's favorite. At this time, there are no plans to reintroduce these items.
We know that it will be hard to find a replacement, but we are always developing new products. We appreciate your interest and loyalty to our brands and trust that we will continue to meet your needs for many years to come.
Sincerely,
Rachel Valdez
Consumer Affairs Department
----
I'm going to try some other brands of veggie dogs (gag!) and see if they've improved. Any recommendations?
That foodservicedirect link...maybe they bought out the remaining supply...??
Another thing...that site lists Kelloggs' "Leanies"??? What are those??
http://my.bi-lo.com/wps/wcm/connect/IT%20Library/bi-lo/footernav/product+recalls/morningstar+farms+corn+dog+veggie+dog
yeah, that's the recall from earlier this year that I was referring to in an earlier post, but it might have had more to do with coating than with the dog itself. I'm in the process of taste testing several different brands of veggie dogs. So far, they suck...especially Smart Dogs. Tofurky makes a Chipotle dog, which, while nothing like a hot dog, at least has some taste. Anybody come across a decent replacement?
The Morning Star Italian Sausages and Gillers Prime are very tasty; perhaps some idiot at the Kellogg Company can make the decision to discontinue them as well. I am equally disappointed that they decided to replace the Gardenburger Barbecue Riblets with the Morningstar variety. They told me "it's the same recipe." No way!! I've made a decision to boycot Morningstar products.
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