Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, people lined up to panic buy certain food products. Americans continue to purchase and hoard so much food that led to local food banks having issues with sourcing out some grocery items for some grocery stores.  


More than 640 Workers Testing Positive to One of the Biggest U.S. Pork Producer

The indefinite postponement of the operations of processing plants operated by Smithfield Foods, one of the country's biggest producers of pork, after at least 640 staff of their staff have tested positive for COVID-19 is raising additional concern on a possible pork shortage in the country.

However, specialists reveal that the food supply in the United States remains in good condition despite some drawbacks brought by the COVID-19 pandemic.


Spot Shortages among Grocery Stores

There are a lot of grocery stores that are experiencing spot shortages between restocking hours. This occurs mostly overnight. This means that shoppers may have a better chance of getting the complete products from their shopping list in the morning.

However, the Department of Agriculture of the United States has not to witness food shortages on a nationwide scale in the county.

Sonny Perdue, United States Secretary of Agriculture, assures everyone that there is plenty of food in the country.


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The Food Supply Chain

The food supply chain is the system that allows the flow of food from the farm to production, processing, distribution, and consumption in the country. The food supply chain in the country is designed to be fast.

The food supply chain in the United States is self-sufficient. The majority of the food of Americans is produced by various American channels, and the production of food is spread out across the U.S., which means that crises in a single area in the country will not significantly affect the system. Additionally, a lot of sectors in the country do not require the use of intensive human labor because of the usage of industrial-scale machinery.


Food Sectors Affected by COVID-19

Some food sectors are greatly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Some meatpacking businesses have already shut down. Farmers are finding it difficult to sell their products and the price of corn had risen. This can result in some farms from going out of business and affect other food sectors.

The most challenging part of the current crisis is not primarily placed on American farmers but the supply chain. The supply chain needs to adapt to the changing eating habits of Americans brought by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The majority of the consumers now are highly dependent on supermarkets rather than restaurants and other foodservice businesses. The supply chain is still in the process of successfully adjusting to the sudden changes in demand. Many experts believe that the supply chain can successfully adapt.