The 2020 Halloween and winter holiday season will be a little less sweet this year thanks to COVID-19. If you’re a fan of Peeps candy, we have some harsh news about your favorite marshmallow treat. The company that manufacturers the sweet, chewy candy announced it has halted production of any new Peeps until next year.
Just Born Quality Confections said new guidelines have forced them to decide to halt Peeps production until 2021 when they’ll gear up for Easter.
That means no Marshmallow Spooky Cats, Marshmallow Monsters, Peeps Pumpkins, or Marshmallow Ghosts.
Following a post from Instagrammer @junkfoodmom, who posted a notice she saw on the Blair Candy website with the news, Just Born confirmed the news toDelish with a statement. The company explained how COVID-19 has altered their manufacturing process and affected production.
According to Just Born, the company elected to shut down production of its candy factories in Bethlehem and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania despite being designated an “essential business by state and federal authorities.” After an almost two-month shutdown, the two factories reopened on May 4 and have instituted changes such as staggered start times for workers, re-designed rooms for social distancing, daily temperature checks and more.
“As you may know, due to the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic, we temporarily suspended production of our candy brands to ensure the health and safety of our associates,” the statement read. “In early May, we resumed limited production after making extensive changes in our plant that ensure the safety of our associates.”
While these changes have helped keep employees safe, they have also put a strain on the level of candy production from the factories. So, Just Born officials decided to pass on Halloween and Christmas and keep its eyes on its peak Peep season.
“This situation resulted in us having to make the difficult decision to forego production of our seasonal candies for Halloween, Christmas and Valentine’s Day in order to focus on meeting the expected overwhelming demand for PEEPS® for next Easter season, as well as our everyday candies,”Just Born said in the statement.
The company also makes Mike & Ike, Hot Tamales and other brands.
But, don’t worry Pumpkin Peeps fans! Company reps said they have every intention to bring back their seasonal shapes beyond Easter again in 2021, starting with Halloween. The break just gives us something sweet to look forward to next year!
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