Forwarded from Ice Age Farmer
Food shortage narrative hitting US:
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Omicron’s Spread Means More Food Outages at U.S. Grocery Stores
From farm to fork, every aspect of the food supply chain is under increasing pressure from the latest virus surge
The highly contagious [AND HARMLESS] omicron virus variant is disrupting already stressed food supply chains, sickening so many workers that more shortages at grocery stores are all but certain.
Supermarkets have been struggling to keep food fully stocked throughout the pandemic as a result of labor shortfalls in every part of the food system, from farms to manufacturers to distributors. Now omicron is bringing the problem to a new level. The variant is raging across the U.S. and raising health concerns that many thought vaccines had put to rest. Schools and daycares are seeing closures again, keeping more Americans from work.
“We’re already seeing bare shelves,” said Bindiya Vakil, chief executive of supply-chain consultant Resilinc Corp. “Labor shortages due to Omicron are going to exacerbate the issue.”
More food inspectors are calling in sick, too, said Paula Soldner, chair of the National Joint Council of Food Inspections Locals. “The Delta variant didn’t have a whole lot of impact on the workforce,” she said, but “Omicron is nailing us.” This comes at a time when inspectors are already in short supply throughout the country [because they quit due to mandates]. In central Nebraska, for example, vacancies are as high as 35%, she said. Inspectors are integral in meat plants, where they look at every processed animal by law.
When it comes to farms, the story is the same: Omicron is making it harder to produce food. Egg Innovations, one of the biggest U.S. producers of free-range eggs, has been short-staffed for about a year due to the pandemic, CEO John Brunnquell said. Now, Omicron is making it even more difficult to keep workers both in his business and across the industry.
There’s seemingly no solution. Brunnquell said he can’t mandate vaccinations without taking a hit to his operations: “Because it’s such a tight labor market, and because we’re already short of people, I don’t feel I have the ability to mandate it without losing a couple more,” he said.
#FoodShortages
https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2022-01-06/omicrons-spread-means-more-food-outages-at-grocery-stores
___
Omicron’s Spread Means More Food Outages at U.S. Grocery Stores
From farm to fork, every aspect of the food supply chain is under increasing pressure from the latest virus surge
The highly contagious [AND HARMLESS] omicron virus variant is disrupting already stressed food supply chains, sickening so many workers that more shortages at grocery stores are all but certain.
Supermarkets have been struggling to keep food fully stocked throughout the pandemic as a result of labor shortfalls in every part of the food system, from farms to manufacturers to distributors. Now omicron is bringing the problem to a new level. The variant is raging across the U.S. and raising health concerns that many thought vaccines had put to rest. Schools and daycares are seeing closures again, keeping more Americans from work.
“We’re already seeing bare shelves,” said Bindiya Vakil, chief executive of supply-chain consultant Resilinc Corp. “Labor shortages due to Omicron are going to exacerbate the issue.”
More food inspectors are calling in sick, too, said Paula Soldner, chair of the National Joint Council of Food Inspections Locals. “The Delta variant didn’t have a whole lot of impact on the workforce,” she said, but “Omicron is nailing us.” This comes at a time when inspectors are already in short supply throughout the country [because they quit due to mandates]. In central Nebraska, for example, vacancies are as high as 35%, she said. Inspectors are integral in meat plants, where they look at every processed animal by law.
When it comes to farms, the story is the same: Omicron is making it harder to produce food. Egg Innovations, one of the biggest U.S. producers of free-range eggs, has been short-staffed for about a year due to the pandemic, CEO John Brunnquell said. Now, Omicron is making it even more difficult to keep workers both in his business and across the industry.
There’s seemingly no solution. Brunnquell said he can’t mandate vaccinations without taking a hit to his operations: “Because it’s such a tight labor market, and because we’re already short of people, I don’t feel I have the ability to mandate it without losing a couple more,” he said.
#FoodShortages
https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2022-01-06/omicrons-spread-means-more-food-outages-at-grocery-stores
Los Angeles Times
Omicron's spread means more food shortages at grocery stores
Supermarkets have been struggling to keep food fully stocked throughout the pandemic as a result of labor shortfalls. Now omicron is bringing the problem to a new level
Forwarded from Ice Age Farmer
Forwarded from Ice Age Farmer
Drought in the wheat growing areas of USA has latest USDA Winter Wheat crop condition estimates at worst in 10 years. China also claims their wheat is the worst on record. Ukraine/Russia not exporting.
Hard Red Winter wheat is nearly half of the overall US wheat production.
Multiple breadbasket failure.
#Wheat #FoodShortages #FoodPrices #GrandSolarMinimum
https://agfax.com/2022/04/04/1st-seasonal-crop-progress-report-shows-lowest-winter-wheat-condition-in-a-decade-dtn/
Hard Red Winter wheat is nearly half of the overall US wheat production.
Multiple breadbasket failure.
#Wheat #FoodShortages #FoodPrices #GrandSolarMinimum
https://agfax.com/2022/04/04/1st-seasonal-crop-progress-report-shows-lowest-winter-wheat-condition-in-a-decade-dtn/
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