As the first heat wave of summer broiled the Northeast on Wednesday, fans of Good Humor's classic Toasted Almond Bar found a shortage of sweet relief.
Parent company Unilever PLC said a sales spike during the unusually warm spring and challenges linked to next month's closing of its Hagerstown manufacturing plant have limited its ability to supply ice cream trucks with Toasted Almond, Candy Center Crunch and Chocolate Eclair bars — treats especially popular in the Northeast.
Carnival Ice Cream, the official distributor of Good Humor ice cream on Long Island, said it was working "tirelessly" to resolve the distribution problems and to stock as much inventory as possible.
"With the record warmth this spring and temperatures nearing 100 degrees as today marks the official start of the summer season, our staff is working around the clock to provide ice cream to the 2.5 million residents of Long Island," the company said in a statement.
The British-Dutch conglomerate said the Toasted Almond shortage should ease by the end of July. "We are confident that all issues will be resolved by mid-summer," Unilever spokesman Jeff Graubard said in an email.
The Unilever spokesman said it's been difficult shifting production from Hagerstown to Unilever plants in Covington, Tenn. and Sikeston, Mo., while maintaining product quality.
The Hagerstown plant is closing permanently as part of a consolidation of the company's U.S. ice cream operations.
Get the latest from NBC 4 New York anytime, anywhere. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Google+. Get our apps here and sign up for email newsletters here. Get breaking news delivered right to your phone -- just text NYBREAKING to 639710. For more info, text HELP. To end, text STOP. Message and data rates may apply.
