Canadian influencer Logan Moffit, also known as “the cucumber guy” on TikTok, is partly responsible for the current cucumber shortage in Iceland. However, although he may be part of the problem, the season and start of the school year also have their role to play.
One of Logan Moffit’s latest cucumber recipes seems to have the Icelanders running to the stores. The salad, which apart from the summery green also contains sesame oil, rice vinegar, chili oil, cream cheese, smoked salmon, red onion, salad dressing, capers, lemon juice, bagel seasoning and flavour-enhancing MSG, has been a hit on TikTok since he released the video. According to the TikToker, “you won’t get enough of it” and his followers are clearly eager to find out what makes him so enthusiastic.
@logagm Replying to @beauticianbeast ♬ original sound – Logan
In Iceland, the recipe has been such a hit that many stores and supermarkets are now reporting cucumber shortages. In a statement to the BBC, Iceland’s Horticulturists’ Sales Company (SFG) said it is not able to keep up with the demand. However, they don’t expect the shortage to go on for a very long time and hope everything will be back to normal in about a week. Kristín Linda Sveinsdóttir, director of the SFG, said the demand for other ingredients used in the video – such as sesame oil – had gone up as well.
Even though one supermarket chain in Iceland, Hagkaup, questioned the link between the video and the shortage, it also indicated that the demand had doubled over the last few days – which may indicate that there is indeed a connection. The company’s food product manager, Vignir Þór Birgisson, however, commented that there are other factors at play. A theory backed by Sveinsdóttir.
“Everything is happening at the same time,” Sveinsdóttir told the BBC, not denying social media did indeed play its role. “This is the first time we have experienced something like this.”
Other than the video, one of the reasons why a cucumber shortage might be happening is the beginning of the new school year, as people are eating and shopping differently than during the summer. Moreover, many farmers are currently replacing their plants, resulting in a drop in produce. If a surge of demand had happened during peak cucumber season, there wouldn’t have been any shortages, according to Sveinsdóttir. With a population of only 393,600, Iceland produces about six million cucumbers a year.
