Food industry braces for new coronavirus wave – By Ryan McCrimmon (Politico) / Nov 26 2020
Across the food and grocery industry, the holidays are starting to resemble the panic of the pandemic spring, when the supply chain was stressed and businesses were teetering.
Turkey farmers raised smaller birds for reduced Thanksgiving gatherings. Restaurants are begging Congress for a lifeline as state and local officials clamp down on indoor dining. And major grocers including Kroger, H-E-B and Publix are bringing back per-customer limits on high-demand items like toilet paper and household cleaners.
Across the food and grocery industry, the holidays are starting to resemble the panic of the pandemic spring, when the supply chain was stressed and businesses were teetering. This time around, grocers say the limits are proactive measures, rather than a sign of looming shortages. Still, photos of empty store shelves have again started cropping up online — a sign that the country’s food industry is still on edge as worried customers snap up more toilet paper and milk than they may need.
“We are hearing of retailers putting limits [on] certain goods, but this is a temporary tactic to curb demand,” said Heather Garlich, senior vice president at FMI, the food industry association formerly known as the Food Marketing Institute.
One critical difference between this holiday crunch and the spring crisis is that Congress does not appear anywhere close to sweeping in to bail out American businesses, as restaurants shutter and retailers rewire their distribution and inventory systems. On the other hand, Garlich said the industry is now “better equipped to handle supply chain stress” than earlier this year.
Stores themselves were long ago upgraded for the pandemic, with plexiglass barriers for cashiers and pharmacists, physical spacing guidelines in aisles and expanded sanitation measures.
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