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4114 |
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Date: January 23, 2022 at 06:53:23
From: shatterbrain, [DNS_Address]
Subject: START HOARDING NOW |
URL: US food supply is under pressure |
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From plants to store shelves, the US food supply is
under pressure
By Jesse Newman
January 23, 2022
In Arizona, one in 10 processing plant and distribution
workers at a major production company was recently
sick. In Massachusetts, employee illnesses have slowed
the flow of fish to supermarkets and restaurants. A
grocery chain in the US Southeast had to hire temporary
workers after nearly a third of its distribution
centers workers fell ill.
Food-industry executives and analysts have warned that
the situation could persist for weeks or even months,
even as the current wave of Covid-19 infections eases.
Recent virus-related absenteeism among workers has led
to continuing supply and transportation disruptions,
keeping some food items scarce.
About two years ago, the Covid-19 lockdown led to a
surge in grocery shopping, which cleared store shelves
of products such as meat, baking ingredients and paper
goods.
Now some officials say the supply challenges are worse
than ever. Food-industry executives said labor
shortages leave a wide range of products in short
supply, with availability sometimes changing daily.
Eddie Quezada, production manager at a Stop & Shop
store in Northport, NY, said Omicron has grown its
department more than any previous wave of the pandemic,
with one in five of its employees contracting COVID-19
in early January. Is. Delivery has also been affected,
he said: Earlier in the month he had received only 17
cases of the 48 strawberries he had ordered.
“There is a domino effect in the operation,” said Mr.
Quezada.
Its controller Keith Milligan said that at Piggly
Wiggly franchises in Alabama and Georgia, about one-
third of the pickers needed to organize products and
load trucks at the grocery chain’s distribution centers
were sick. The company is struggling to get food on
time due to driver shortages and staffing problems, Mr
Milligan said, leaving Piggly Wiggly to change its
ordering and stocking plans daily in some cases. Frozen
vegetables and packaged biscuits are running low, he
said.
According to data from market research firm IRI, stock
levels of food products at US retailers jumped 86 per
cent during the week ended January 16. This is lower
than last summer and more than 90% of pre-epidemic
levels. Sports drinks, frozen cookies and refrigerated
dough are particularly low, with levels in the 60% to
70% range in stock. In-stock rates are lower in states
such as Alaska and West Virginia, IRI data shows.
“We were hoping that the supply issues would get
resolved as we go through this period now. Omicron has
put a little dent on that,” Albertsons Cos chief
executive Vivek Sankaran said in a January 11 call with
analysts. He said the Boise, Idaho-based supermarket
giant expects more supply challenges next month or so.
Industry executives and analysts said similar
challenges at packaged-food and meatpacking plants
meant shortages could persist. The Department of
Agriculture showed that cattle slaughter and beef
production were down about 5% in the week of January 14
compared to a year earlier, with hog slaughter
declining by 9%. The USDA said chicken processing was
down about 4% in the week ending January 8. According
to the agency, labor shortage is also affecting milk
processing and cheese production.
Because meat often takes weeks to reach store shelves
from plants, the current Omicron-related labor problems
at producers could prolong supply issues, said
Christine McCracken, executive director of meat
research at agricultural lender Rabobank. “That could
mean less meat in the long run,” she said.
Lamb Weston Holdings Inc., a top North American seller
of frozen potato products, said in January that labor
challenges are expected to affect production rates and
throughput at its plants, where staff shortages have
already disrupted operations. . Conagra Brands Inc.,
which makes Bird’s Eye frozen vegetables and Slim Jim
Meat snacks, said earlier this month that more of its
employees are testing positive for COVID-19 at a time
when high consumer demand is already in place. The
company’s available supplies are outweighing.
In Massachusetts, Tom Zafiro is struggling to get the
fish to grocery stores and restaurants. Mr. Zafiro,
president of Channel Fish Processing Company, said the
company is only able to run at 80% capacity on days
when key workers are out, while a shortage in trucking
companies and braiding suppliers has made it even more
difficult to prepare and transport. it happens. Company
fish. The channel has tripled lead times for customers,
he said, and those who do not meet the minimum order
are not guaranteed supply.
Vegetable suppliers in the West, who provide the bulk
of America’s leafy greens during the winter, also face
production challenges.
Steve Church, co-president of Church Brothers Farms, a
California-based production company, said some 10% of
workers at his Arizona vegetable processing plant and
distribution facility were sick on any given day
earlier this month. That number fell last week, and Mr
Church said he was still able to fill orders, but he
was concerned that the extra work was taking place on
the remaining staff at the church, who were selling
fresh chopped vegetables and bagged salads. Working
overtime to keep up. For grocers and restaurants such
as Walmart Inc. and Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc.
“Those people are tired and they want a day off,” said
Mr. Church. “It is a vicious cycle.”
Food companies and supermarket chains are raising costs
as they struggle to operate with fewer employees. In
Northport, Stop & Shop has offered union workers
overtime pay to cover shifts for sick workers and asked
part-time workers to work longer hours, said Mr
Quezada, the production manager in his department.
Staffing and delivery are improving.
Stop & Shop said it, like other businesses across the
country, is experiencing the impact of the latest
increase in COVID-19 cases. The company said it does
not anticipate disruption to the buying experience of
customers and has plans to continue operations.
Midwest-based Angelo Caputo’s Fresh Market is running
low on frozen breakfast products, canned beans, and
other items, and is buying whatever it can find to keep
its shelves, says Dan Center Store and Perishables
Director O’Neill said. grocer
“We’re not seeing any sort of relief,” Mr O’Neill said,
adding that the company is trying to secure more
inventory from alternative suppliers.
Brandon Johnson, president of Wisconsin-based trucking
company Korth Transfer, said the latest wave of Covid-
19 cases has hit Korth’s employees almost as hard as
the early stages of the pandemic. Mr Johnson said he
has become accustomed to telling customers that they do
not have drivers left to carry their load.
Mr Johnson said he spent about 20 days behind the wheel
of his trucks last year, which included a 500-mile
round-trip journey to ferry a load of soy sauce from
its manufacturer to a condiment supplier for use in
teriyaki recipes. Was.
“It makes it easier to say we are tapped,” Mr Johnson
said, referring to his filling days as a driver. “I can
say, ‘I have nothing more to offer. We have everything
we can do to work for you.'”
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Responses:
[4123] [4122] [4120] [4118] [4116] [4119] [4115] [4117] |
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4123 |
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Date: February 18, 2022 at 00:28:30
From: Madge, [DNS_Address]
Subject: Buy Seed |
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Heirloom and organic seed.. Plant a garden and can,
freeze or dry, vacuum package the food.
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Responses:
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4122 |
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Date: February 11, 2022 at 20:56:42
From: The Hierophant, [DNS_Address]
Subject: Re: START HOARDING NOW |
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Cat food is in such SUCH short supply...the cat food
sections of stores are like literally almost empty-
entire sections with nothing. Cats are not like dogs-
they will eat just about anything. I have stocked up
with enough cat food for about 3 months time. I
figure I can make do with whatever there may be - but
my furry companion cannot. Probably not too long
before the shelters will be overflowing with pets again
because people won't be able to feed them.
Every shopping trip has me shaking my head in disbelief
how our country has become what it used to be like in
the Soviet Union - empty bare shelves. It is now
taking me at least going to 3 -4 different grocery
stores to secure all the items I want/need for the
coming week.
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4120 |
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Date: January 31, 2022 at 14:13:26
From: georg, [DNS_Address]
Subject: white Listerine, Tucks, Metamucil, and much more all in short supply (NT) |
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Responses:
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4118 |
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Date: January 28, 2022 at 08:44:59
From: Awen, [DNS_Address]
Subject: Hoard responsibly though when possible :-) |
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I stock up and hoard, always have. But during COVID
times I do try to be conscientious of other people's
needs.
Usually I'm topping things off. I seldom have any need
to buy the last of anything (Exception being cat litter
which seems to be part of the supply chain issues here
and I have to rely on transport by others, so a space
issue when stocking up).
My rule of thumb is that I don't buy a lot of anything
unless the store already has a lot in stock, and I try
never to take the last of anything in case someone else
has a more dire need than I do.
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Responses:
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4116 |
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Date: January 24, 2022 at 13:22:33
From: georg, [DNS_Address]
Subject: what choice have we? every day, every minute, our money worth less (NT) |
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Responses:
[4119] |
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4119 |
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Date: January 28, 2022 at 08:47:53
From: Awen, [DNS_Address]
Subject: If you have any ethnic shops in your area: Cheap rice and lentils |
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Indian and hispanic food stores have a good supply of
cheap bulk rice and lentils, and some pretty good
seasoning packages that you can use for far more than the
purpose noted on the box for any blend.
Even the pre-made mixes, while far pricier than the bulk
dried items, are usually about a dollar cheaper than
their supermarket equivalent.
Just be sure to always check expiration date if the item
has one. Lately I've found I have to do that in the
supermarkets though anyway....
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4115 |
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Date: January 23, 2022 at 19:05:27
From: chatillon, [DNS_Address]
Subject: Re: START HOARDING NOW |
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'Hoarding' or 'setting by' for the future when it will be
needed?
Our ancestors always prepared ahead of time or they
wouldn't have survived and we wouldn't be here.
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Responses:
[4117] |
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4117 |
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Date: January 25, 2022 at 16:45:19
From: kay.so.or, [DNS_Address]
Subject: Re: START HOARDING NOW |
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years ago we bought in bulk, I mean 45 years ago. and then it varied at different times through my crazy life. but when I had the money to get a little extra I did and I used to can and freeze things too. Its much harder as I am older to do that now for many reasons. this last year it was so scorching hot that my garden produced very little, even with sheets strung up to protect them. I have started picking up a bit extra here and there. Unfortunately whenever there are those that scare people so much, they really do 'hoard' and buy so much of certain things that there isn't any left for others. I have paid attention to coming times 'like forever' because of so many factors, one of them being in my own imagining, thinking about how many farmers/etc, factories, dairies, and production/factories/shipping/etc that was needed just to feed 'america' and the amount has always just boggled my mind thinking about it. I always thought the fast food places and restaurants would be the first to go if they can't get supplies or afford them. color me not surprised just sad for the coming famines as we are already seeing all over the world.
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Responses:
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