Shortage Of Reddi-wip, Other Whipped Creams Due To Cantonment Explosion

A nationwide shortage of canned whipped cream is being attributed to a fatal explosion in Cantonment in late August.

A local man was killed in the explosion of several nitrous oxide tanks in a loading bay at the Airgas plant near Ascend Performance Materials on Old Chemstrand Road.

The chemical is used as a medical anesthetic and as a propellant in foods like Reddi-wip and other canned whipped creams. There’s a priority for medical uses among the remaining nitrous oxide supply.

“Due to an industry-wide supply issue, there is currently a shortage of some whipped toppings, including Reddi-wip. We are proactively managing the production of Reddi-wip, and are doing the best we can to make it available to as many consumers as possible,” Reddi-whip spokesperson Lanie Friedman said. “To clarify, this is impacting any company that uses nitrous oxide in food, so not just our brand. Obviously, medical usage of nitrous oxide takes priority at this point.”

“In late August, an incident occurred at a production facility in Cantonment, Florida operated by Nitrous Oxide Corp, an Airgas company (“Airgas Nitrous Oxide”), that impacted production at the facility indefinitely as well as Airgas Nitrous Oxide’s supply of nitrous oxide in the short-term. Airgas Nitrous Oxide is making all possible efforts to remedy the situation as quickly as possible. Impacted customers, including those who manufacture whipped cream, have been notified directly,” said Sarah Boxley, a spokesperson for Airgas.

The canned whipped cream shortage should be short lived, at least for the Reddi-wip brand.

“We should have our full supply up and running by February. Again, we encourage shoppers to stock up early on Reddi-wip during our peak holiday season,” Friedman said.