A shortage of mustard seeds is driving up prices and could leave some store shelves in short supply before the new crop hits markets this fall, industry experts say.
France, the world’s biggest consumer of the popular condiment, is already facing shortages, while other countries are seeing prices rise as stocks of last year’s mustard seeds run out.
The problem goes back to the Canadian prairies, where most of the world’s mustard seeds are grown.
A drop in the number of acres planted last year in Saskatchewan and Alberta combined with a severe summer drought means crop yields are much lower than usual.
In Saskatchewan, for example, about 300,000 acres, or about 120,000 hectares, were planted to mustard last year, a 25 percent drop from the 10-year average of 400,000 acres (about 160,000 hectares), according to data provincial
Time is a factor
Afterwards, the dry and hot weather damaged the crops.
“The heat we had last July just devastated yields,” said Stuart Smyth, an associate professor in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon.
“Mustard seed yield was only 35 percent of the 10-year average.”
Yellow spread prices have risen steadily since then.
For example, a hundred seeds of yellow mustard, about 45 kilograms, cost more than $150 a week ago, triple the $50 last year, according to a Saskatchewan database of agricultural commodity prices.
Brown mustard seeds, used in Dijon-style mustard, cost $182.33 per hundredweight a week ago, compared with $45 last year.
Eric Giesbrecht, chef and owner of Brassica Mustard, had no choice but to pay 400% more for his supply of mustard seeds this year. (Rory Mayer/The Canadian Press)
Lack of availability of seeds
However, for mustard makers, high prices are only half the battle. Some struggle to even find enough Canadian seeds to buy.
“I bought mustard seeds in the spring of this year from last year’s harvest … and I almost had to ask my supplier to sell them to me,” said Eric Giesbrecht, chef and owner of Mustard Brassica.
“It was probably the last £2,000 he had and he was worried he wouldn’t have enough to fill his other orders.”
The owner of the Calgary-based company ended up paying 400 percent more than usual, an astronomical cost increase that he has mostly had to absorb.
“Using Canadian mustard seed is just part of my company’s identity, so importing seed was not an option,” said Giesbrecht.
Some mustard makers are feeling the squeeze
Kraft Heinz Co., which makes Heinz Yellow Mustard and the Dijon Gray Poupon brand of mustard, said the shortage has only affected the brown mustard seeds it uses in its Dijon variety.
The company said that as soon as it identified a potential supply problem, it worked to find other sources of brown mustard seeds in different parts of the world.
“We have also worked to prioritize [products] in our Gray Poupon portfolio that we know are customer favorites to ensure we would avoid shortages of these key products,” the company said in an emailed statement.
The brown mustard seeds that go into premium mustards like Dijon are currently the hardest to find, while the basic varieties are in manageable supply, so far. (iStock/Getty Images)
No one from Dijon mustard maker Maille Canada, a subsidiary of Unilever, was available for comment.
McCormick & Co., Inc., maker of French mustard, said it is not experiencing a shortage of mustard seeds.
The company attributed its inventory position to its “resilient global supply chain and strong sourcing capabilities.”
Home processing just can’t cut the mustard
Canadian grocers directed inquiries about the supply of mustard to the Retail Council of Canada.
Michelle Wasylyshen, spokeswoman for the retail industry group, said Canadians should not be concerned about food availability, although “there may be times when consumers need to look for alternatives and substitutions.” .
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Canada is the world’s leading producer of mustard seeds. But during the last two years the crop has experienced a major shortage. Experts say drought in the West and low inventory led to a “perfect storm.”
“In Canada, last year’s mustard crop was badly affected by the drought and that affected production,” he said.
“We don’t make a lot of mustard domestically, we supply the seed to other countries who then produce the actual condiment.”
In fact, the shortage has highlighted how little of the mustard seed crop grown in Canada stays here to be processed into a condiment.
“It’s a missed opportunity,” said Sylvain Charlebois, professor of food distribution and policy at Dalhousie University.
“Our process sector needs help to develop expertise and capacity.”
In this Aug. 24, 2015 photo, a farmer holds a handful of mustard seeds. The drop in mustard crop acres planted last year in Saskatchewan and Alberta, combined with a severe summer drought, means yields are much lower than usual, resulting in seed shortages and higher prices than available. (Mike McCleary/The Associated Press)
The shortage of Dijon is a bigger problem in France
While Canadian stores appear to have ample supplies so far, it may be a matter of time before broader mustard market conditions trickle down here to retail, he said.
“It takes a while for ingredient shortages to work their way through the supply chain,” Charlebois said.
“It’s very possible we’ll run out of mustard, but it may be a little later in Canada.”
Unlike in France, where Dijon mustard is almost as common a kitchen staple as salt and pepper, Canadians tend to buy mustard only once every six months or less and would likely be more susceptible to substitutes, Charlebois said. .
“We might actually see less supply at some point, but it wouldn’t be catastrophic and it would be short-lived.”
A good autumn harvest is expected
Meanwhile, scientists warn that climate change could lead to more frequent and severe droughts in the Prairies, a situation that could affect future crop yields.
But Smyth said drought management has improved dramatically in recent years, which will help maximize harvests.
So far this year, he said the growing season has been promising, boding well for a healthy harvest this fall.
In addition, the number of planted hectares has increased.
Saskatchewan farmers planted about 550,000 acres of mustard seed this year, or roughly 220,000 hectares, an increase of nearly 40 per cent compared to the 10-year average, according to provincial data.
“If the conditions stay here for the next four to six weeks, we should be in good shape,” Smyth said.
“Definitely, when we have our Christmas hams, we’ll have plenty of Dijon for that.”