As the corona virus epidemic continues to affect supply chains and demand, consumers can see changes on the grocery store shelves. Moreover, these changes are bound to arise because the respective producers may fail to process food quickly as per the suddenly changing demands. And with the changing consumer spending habits due to the current pandemic situation, shoppers are less likely to purchase certain foods, which will evidently impact the future supplies. The novel COVID-19 has affected the fast food sector in almost all regions, though, it has particularly disturbed the product flow of foods with shorter shelf lives.
In the words of Associate Professor of Nutrition and Food Research at the University of New York, Carolyn Dimitri, these changes are unpredictable, and thus, potential coronavirus outbreaks can cause severe fluctuations in the supply chain. She continued explaining as agriculture is a labor dependent sector, it already involves unaccounted risk of weather conditions. Amidst of all this, if it ends up having a huge viral outbreak during the peak harvest season- it will disturb the capability of individuals; be it the farmers on the fields or the workforce at the processing facilities. And not to mention, the resulting imbalance will continually be creating more problems.
According to the National Cattleman’s Beef Association, coronavirus causes cattle breeders are anticipated to lose more than $13 billion by 2021. Nearly 11,496 employees in the factories such as meat packaging and food factories have contracted the coronavirus, as sourced by the Food and Environmental Reporting Network. “In terms of what we see consumers buying more of, we are seeing things they can store for a long time,” Gomez said. “For example, they prefer to buy apples because they last longer in the refrigerator than broccoli or things that are very perishable.”
Expensive perishable foods including the berries can see supply changes as consumers move to cheaper options that last longer. Perishable food may have a reduced supply as consumers choose foods that can be stored longer. If consumers consistently choose fewer specific foods, producers do not receive enough funds to continue production, affecting supply.
