A CADBURY'S Flake shortage is threatening to wreck a summer rush for 99 ice creams.
The chocolate firm has reported supply chain issues has hit stocks of the traditional ice cream topper.
And it couldn't come at worse time as Britain is set to be hotter than Jamaica on Friday.
Tara Price, 46, and her husband Andy, 45, run Devon Vintage Ice creams with four vans across the county.
To prepare for a hot summer the couple usually buy 286 boxes containing 144 Flakes – enough for 41,000 ice creams.
Tara told The Sun: "This is a huge concern for us, at the moment we won't have enough for the six week school holiday and that could cause us problems.
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"You can only buy a maximum of ten boxes at whole sale prices and they don't go very far when it's good weather.
"And we're looking at importing boxes from Europe to make sure we've got enough, but it's very expensive.
"Hopefully they get more before the holidays, otherwise there will be problems.
"Otherwise we might have to start making our own!"
Met Office forecasters have predicted temperatures could soar past 86F (30C) this week, beating this year's hottest day after 81F (27.5C) was recorded at Heathrow last month.
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High demand in 99s caught Cadbury’s owner US giant Mondelez off guard after sales outstripped stock levels agreed with its customers at the start of the year.
Mondelez say there is a global shortage.
Abby Beech, owner of Abbey's Ice Cream in Hessle, East Yorkshire said: "There are 144 Flakes in a box.
"It sounds a lot but if you go to a large event you could easily use eight or nine boxes."
Flakes latest in a string of supply problems
Cadbury's Flake is the latest food to be hit by supply issues with a shortage of sunflower oil and wheat affecting the cost of bread, pasta and breakfast cereals.
UK food and drink firms have also warned of potential shortages of beef, poultry, and dairy.
The Ice Cream van members association, the Ice Cream Alliance added: "There is, once again, a shortage of the flake product.
"This is disappointing to our members and their customers as the Flake product is synonymous with the whippy ice cream known as the Flake99 and enjoyed throughout the UK especially during the summer months."
"The ICA hopes that the supply issue is resolved as soon as possible to benefit both our members, the ice cream industry and their customers."
Cadbury’s Flakes are produced in two locations near Cairo, Egypt, and another site in Dublin, Ireland.
A spokesperson for Mondelez International said: "In line with what many other companies are reporting, we are experiencing some global supply chain disruptions, alongside a recent increase in demand for the product in the UK and Ireland above the levels that we agreed with our customers at the start of the year.
“This means we are experiencing some short-term stock challenges on Flake 99.
“We are working, and will continue to work hard, to resolve the situation, and are working closely with our direct distributive customers to manage stock allocation fairly based on initial forecasts."
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The 99 Flake was coined in 1922 by ice cream vendor Stefano Arcari ran a shop at 99 Portobello High Street in Edinburgh.
His family claim he would break a Flake in half and stick it in the ice cream for his customers.
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