A Mustard Shortage Could Be Hitting the U.S. Soon — Here’s What You Need to Know

Cheryl Fenton
Cheryl Fenton
An editor once called her “the kitchen sink writer." Translation - Boston-based freelancer Cheryl Fenton can write about anything, including the kitchen sink (peep her interior design pieces). Her bylines run the gamut from dailies like USAToday and the Boston Globe to monthly pubs including Whole Foods, Women's Health & Fitness, and Cooking Light to book covers (there's a travel guide for Fodor's with her name on it and a fitness read she wrote with Tamilee Webb of Buns of Steel fame).
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published Jun 21, 2022
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Retail store dijon mustard section and prices
Credit: Shutterstock/Billy F Blume Jr

Apparently the world’s supply of a favorite hot dog condiment doesn’t cut the … err … mustard. And, as a result, we may be looking at an international mustard shortage sooner than we think.

According to Business Insider, a year of poor mustard seed production is the cause of what may result in a lack of mustard on American grocery store shelves in the near future. Experts say you can thank climate change for the large drop in mustard seed production, with Canada (the world’s second largest producer) and France watching the most recent growing season’s yields fall 28 percent and 50 percent, respectively, because of drought and bad weather. As Russia and Ukraine are also large producers of mustard seeds, the ongoing war isn’t helping the importing efforts either. 

Before you start practicing eating your favorite summer meals with just ketchup and relish, however, don’t worry. More than likely, U.S. grocery shelves will still have plenty of the condiment to go around. But how much do you like your spicy yellow add-on? If it’s enough to pay more for it, you may want to prepare yourself as price jumps are being felt around the world. 

This news comes on the heels of Huy Fong Foods Inc. bracing its customers this past April that it’s suspending production of cult favorite hot sauce Sriracha (the condiment we put on everything) due to a “severe shortage of chili” from the droughts in Mexico — where they’re grown. 

In the meantime, you can make the most out of the mustard you have in your fridge with this honey mustard salad dressing.