Shortages reported in grocery stores nationwide and blame goes beyond pandemic

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Reports in recent days have shown alarmingly devoid of grocery shelves in parts of the country.

Supermarket chains say the problems are an extension of a continuing trend compounded by transportation issues linked to winter storms and staff shortages caused by increasing cases of the omicron variant.

“Some parts of the country are not having these issues because they are not affected by any of these weather-related supply chain issues, and maybe they are not experiencing the omicron push in the same way as ‘Another state knows it, “Doug Baker, vice president of industrial relations at IMF, a food industry association, told the Washington Post.

Here in central Pennsylvania, sporadic inventory issues continue to plague retailers, albeit far from the severity of the great toilet paper shortage of March 2020. Products such as orange juice, cat food, frozen pizza and ground beef, among others, can sometimes be hard to find.

“So far, there have been no incidents beyond what we have experienced last year,” said Scott Karns, CEO and President of Karns Foods in central Pennsylvania.

But Karns warns that other temporary issues could be on the horizon in the coming weeks.

Alex Baloga, CEO and president of the Pennsylvania Food Merchants Association, said many of the same challenges that retailers have faced over the past two years, such as labor and raw material shortages and supply chain issues. supply, have been exacerbated in recent weeks.

“There are sort of sporadic shortages, but they’re all centered around the same issues we’ve seen,” he said.

The winter weather is certainly not helping. A snowstorm that hampered traffic in the DC area along I-95 last week delayed deliveries of key items such as southern fruit. Karns said he suffered temporary delays from a truck stranded in North Carolina, but the issue is now resolved.

The frigid weather over the past weekend also fueled the traditional snowstorm shopping spree, Karns said, adding that they had ordered additional staples such as bread and milk.

Nationally, the highly contagious variant of omicron continues to make workers sick and creates staff shortages and transportation disruptions across the industry. Karns said he wouldn’t be surprised if more temporary shortages occur later this month or early February.

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“At the moment, the pipeline has returned to a new normal, and now we’re going to see some factories possibly shutting down immediately,” Karns said, adding that some suppliers say they don’t have enough truck drivers.

Dennis Curtin, spokesperson for Weis Markets, said some processors are facing labor shortages or limited supplies of packaging materials. In other cases, Curtin noted that shipping companies did not have enough drivers and distribution centers did not have workers to unload trucks.

As an example, he said there were not enough workers at the ports to pack and load imported fruits such as stone fruits and grapes onto ships. Although supply is currently limited, Curtin said suppliers expect it to stabilize by the end of the month.

Grocery stores are also facing downsizing, according to the National Grocers Association, which told CNN that many of its members work with 50% of their normal workforce.

“While there is a lot of food in the supply chain, we predict that consumers will continue to experience sporadic disruption in certain product categories, as we have seen over the past year and a half due to ongoing supply and workforce challenges, ”Greg Ferrara, the group’s president and CEO, told CNN.

Karns said manufacturers such as General Mills and Kraft Heinz say it could be summer or fall before inventory issues are resolved. Some manufacturers continue to produce only the best-selling items, which means buyers still cannot find all flavors, sizes, or varieties for some product lines.

Ashley Flower, spokesperson for The Giant Company, said increased demand and a stretched supply chain have contributed to limited product availability in some cases.

“We continue to stay in close contact with our suppliers and work to offer alternative products, but customers may find that a particular brand or variety is not available due to these challenges,” said Flower. .

The pandemic-fueled trend of more people cooking at home also continues, sending more people to grocery stores. Karns said that after the holidays, people cook more at home because they want to eat healthier and watch their budget.

But Curtin said it’s also possible that the trend has increased due to the recent wave of COVID.

“Today, a growing number of people are working remotely, which makes them more likely to have most of their meals at home,” he said. “It is possible that this trend has accelerated due to the omicron surge and cold weather.”

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