While President Biden is struggling to restore the supply chain, food shortages are spiking, further crippling the nation.
“People are hoarding [food],” CEO and founder of Saffron Road, a producer of frozen and shelf-stable meals, Adnan Durrani told the Seattle Times. “What I think you’ll see over the next six months, all prices will go higher.”
Since 2020, the evidence shows food costs have increased 10.5 percent, including meats, poultry, fish, and eggs.
The ability of suppliers to meet retails demands have impacted the food costs. Durrani warned he is “keeping about four months’ supply on hand instead of the typical one or two months.”
Restaurants have rearranged their business operations due to the new food shortage, impacting business outside the food chain. Reportedly, A&W Restaurants canceled their chicken tender marketing contract because the supplier ran out of poultry to sell. “Instead, the chain, which has about 560 locations domestically, went with chili-cheese fries.”
CEO of A&W Restaurants Kevin Bazner told the Times to reflect the chicken shortage; the marketing was changed. “Rather than running short, we replaced the promotion with something we could get,” said Bazner, noting only 80 percent of his orders from suppliers are being received by his restaurants.
Land O’Lakes, a large manufacturer of farm cooperatives, told the publication that the shelves at stores have less stock due to Biden’s supply chain breakdown. “The challenges in the supply chain continue to be issues such as driver shortages, labor, and congestion at the ports,” chief supply chain officer Yone Dewberry explained.
On Tuesday, 100 vessels were waiting to unload off the Los Angeles coast. But, due to a port full of containers, the ships could wait up to two weeks to unload their goods.
Meanwhile, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has been on paternity leave with his husband and two children.
While Buttigieg has been away from the office, the White House has reportedly been considering whether to deploy the National Guard to confront the crisis.