Slim Jim Shortage Leads to Hoarding

Slim Jim Factory Blows Up and Causes Shortage

Stock up on Slim Jims, everyone.  They will be in short supply during the coming months.  ConAgra, the company that makes the Slim Jim, has not produced the beef jerky treat since a Garner, North Carolina processing plant exploded last month, killing three employees.  This was the only facility in the country that made the dried beef snack and plans are not yet finalized to have them produced elsewhere.

Fans of the Slim Jim are already hoarding whatever supplies they can find at their local truck stops and convenience stores, even willing to take boxes that have expiration dates from earlier in the year or even resorting to get any coupons that they can get their hands on.

It will be at least another month before ConAgra is ready to start manufacturing again, meaning that new Slim Jim products may not be hitting store shelves until September at the earliest, and maybe as late as December.  In the meantime, the company is relying on existing inventory to ship supplies to their customers on a proportional basis, to avert a Slim Jim crisis as long as possible.

The Slim Jim shortage is being taken very seriously.  “People who like [Slim Jim], when they find out that there’s a shortage, are going to grab onto them, I’m certain of it,” said Harry Balzer, a food industry analyst with the NPD Group, in a statement to the New York Post.  “Maybe [Ben] Bernanke should step in with some TARP money because people can’t live without their Slim Jims.”