Mid-term Concerns: Food Supply

[rcjordan]

Makes sense, particularly if you've ever ordered TP by the case for your businesses.  I wonder how Quill is doing on TP?  And somebody locally mentioned that Office Max had a good stock while the local grocery stores were out.

[Brad]

I keep wondering about sales of bidet add-on units for the toilet.  Seems to me local plumbers ought to buy up a bunch and offer installation specials.  Might be too late for that now.

[buckworks]

Coronavirus may cause some food shortages, warns government task force

https://www.news.yahoo.com/coronavirus-may-cause-some-food-shortages-says-government-document-223308504.html

[rcjordan]

After my warning email, one daughter said she had bought some dry goods back when the panic first hit.  She's ramping up now to increase her stocks.  She's short on bread substitutes, so I told her to look for (Brad's idea) pancake mix that just adds water.  She's not a prepper usually, so here's the guidance I gave her so she'd get going;

"I do not see this as a total collapse where people literally starve to death.  But I DO think that the food shortages that we are having now are going to return after a brief period of respite.  I'm suggesting that you use your current grocery-ninja skills to keep building your basic, stable pantry goods.  If we do have a period of easier access, use it to double down."

[Brad]

Here's another solution:  Many commercial food suppliers that serve the restaurant trade have outlet stores for the public.  Most are offering curbside pickup.

For instance, I could get a case of 24 loaves of bread dough.  Thaw, let raise and bake.  Now I don't have freezer space for a case but if I went in with neighbors and split it up I could.

https://gfsstore.com/

Also,  there are some home delivery outfits that sell their own products.  The example here is Schwan's which has frozen foods.

https://www.schwans.com/

Now these companies might not be in your area, but there maybe something similar near you.

[rcjordan]

Seafood industry struggling to stay afloat amid outbreak - ABC News
https://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory/seafood-industry-struggling-stay-afloat-amid-outbreak-69984771

[DrCool]

>commercial food suppliers that serve the restaurant trade

There are a couple produce suppliers in the area that have started selling their stock to consumers. If you want a 50 lb bag of potatoes for $15  or a 30 pound bag of onions it is a great option. I might grab a bag of potatoes. A local high end steak restaurant has also put all their meat in the freezer and is selling it to the public.

[Damian]

I have a small excavator so I started work on a root cellar to be able to stock more food.

[rcjordan]

Coronavirus claims an unexpected victim: Florida vegetables - ABC News
https://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory/coronavirus-claims-unexpected-victim-florida-vegetables-70041972

[rcjordan]

Meat plants are shutting down as workers get sick - CNN
https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/08/business/meat-plant-closures-coronavirus/index.html

Debbie is raising the food supply issue to DEFCON 3.

[rcjordan]

Global Food Exports Get Paralyzed by Growing Problems for Ports - Bloomberg
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-04-09/it-s-getting-a-lot-harder-to-ship-food-around-the-world

More meat plants close as employee coronavirus outbreaks grow | Food Dive
https://www.fooddive.com/news/more-meat-plants-close-as-employee-coronavirus-outbreaks-grow/575752/

The Farm-to-Table Connection Comes Undone - The New York Times
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/09/dining/farm-to-table-coronavirus.html

[ergophobe]

Why grocery shelves won't be empty for long
https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20200401-covid-19-why-we-wont-run-out-of-food-during-coronavirus

[rcjordan]

>Why grocery shelves won't be empty for long

Search on "farm" in that article and see how many times it is mentioned.

TL;DR: 0

[rcjordan]

"Farmers need around 70,000 seasonal workers to make sure crops are picked throughout the year, most of whom usually arrive from the EU.

While a major hiring drive to 'Feed the Nation' during the coronavirus crisis has had more than 27,000 applicants, only around 4,300 of them have taken up the offer of an interview so far."

UK facing food shortages unless more people take jobs on farms
https://metro.co.uk/2020/04/09/farmers-fear-food-shortages-summer-recruitment-drive-falls-short-12532176/

[grnidone]

I'm growing a big garden this year so I have enough to can food.  I also got 3 more hens and have some eggs in the incubator for some more.

I've also been making masks for people.  I went to the doctor and so impressed the staff with the mask I was wearing that they asked me to make 50 more.  I plan to crank out 100.

It's a bitch to find elastic, so I'm making mine with ties, although, wide double bind tape is also getting difficult to find.

I'm so tired of this.  I have a feeling this will be the new norm through the beginning of the year.