Not sure this is the right category but I was told this morning that our local South OC Albertsons has been unable to get Cuties (bagged Cementines) for a while now. The produce guy said they should be getting Chilean ones soon but US grown not for a long time. I don’t think I’ve ever noticed a total lack of them before, what with Southern Hemisphere produce available to offset.
I’ve become kindof addicted to these things and had to buy a very subpar substitute for them last time. Today they didn’t even have those. Anybody know what might be going on? Are international shipping costs still so sky high that pricing coujd be the issue?
I’m guessing the US-grown ones are impacted by the drought/aridification and lack of water in the Central Valley. If you’ve time for a long (and fascinating) read about the family behind Cuties, try this:
We take the 5 from SoCal to the Bay Area two or three times a year and have certainly noticed the farmers’ signs about water along that route. We’ve just become so used to international sourcing that this seems unusual.
I too am now wondering why they’re not currently available: seem so ubiquitous that I’d not noticed the absence. That said, grocery produce availability and quality is really screwy now.
