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There has been a yeast bottleneck in the retail trade for several weeks. Companies from other countries are helping out.
In the last few weeks it has been difficult to find fresh yeast – or cube yeast, as it is also called – in the store. A hobby baker who normally uses fresh yeast for his Sunday braid was all the happier when, after days of waiting, he finally found a replacement yeast at Migros. However, when he takes a closer look at the package, he sees that it is written in Czech and Slovak. Is that where the yeast actually comes from?
Yeast not from the Czech Republic
“No,” says Carmen Hefti, media spokeswoman for Migros. «The cube yeast that we currently temporarily have in our range is manufactured in Germany. Since the producer delivers internationally, the yeast cubes are written in Czech and Slovak in addition to German.” At Coop, some of the yeast currently comes from Germany and France.
Yeast shortage due to listeria
There is of course a reason why Swiss yeast is temporarily in short supply: In connection with listeria in the cube system, maintenance and cleaning measures, among other things, should have been initiated, according to Hefe Schweiz AG. However, there was never any danger to consumers; right from the start, we worked very closely with the authorities, the Thurgau cantonal laboratory and specialists. The problem was quickly isolated. The company emphasizes: The yeast that is delivered is absolutely clean.
Only the cube yeast in the retail trade is affected by the bottleneck. Liquid yeast in a bag and dry yeast are still available. Some yeast cubes from Switzerland can now be found in stores again. And the situation should continue to improve by Easter, according to Hefe Schweiz AG.