NEW YORK CITY, New York: This holiday season, a peppermint supply shortage is resulting in much of the public purchasing fruit-flavored candy canes, rather than peppermint.

Along with cream cheese, candy canes have been placed on the long list of Christmas shortages.

Some two years after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, more items are becoming scarce due to global supply chain disruptions, caused by congested ports, along with a lack of truck drivers and service workers.

Mitchell Cohen, owner of Economy Candy on New York City’s Lower East Side, told the New York Post, “We only received half of our candy cane order for the holiday season and sold out almost immediately. We currently have zero in stock. Raw material and ingredient shortages globally have had quite an impact.”

Also, peppermint production has declined nearly 25 percent over the past decade, reported the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Patrick Penfield, professor of supply chain practice at Syracuse University, told USA TODAY that peppermint, cream cheese and international foods are among the food products in short supply.

“As you walk through a lot of stores you will not see the quantity and quality of items you are accustomed to seeing.

“Unfortunately, as we progress through the holiday season, we are seeing more bare shelves and stockouts of popular items,” Penfield said.