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Food shortages -- in the US?

Food shortages -- in the US?
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  • Post #61 - November 5th, 2021, 3:38 pm
    Post #61 - November 5th, 2021, 3:38 pm Post #61 - November 5th, 2021, 3:38 pm
    http://www.smalldeadanimals.com/2021/11/05/reader-survey-shortages-in-canada-and-the-us/

    SDA Reader Survey: Shortages in Canada (And The US)
    This amazing thread was open for Canadians (and some Americans!) to tell what they are unable to buy now. Appliances, parts for cars, car tires, all sorts of interim products made of metal, wood and wood products, furniture, spare parts for all kinds of things! It goes far past griping about the price of beef and pork or the missing Oreos or ingredients for your Thanksgiving meal. What a round-up!
  • Post #62 - November 5th, 2021, 3:39 pm
    Post #62 - November 5th, 2021, 3:39 pm Post #62 - November 5th, 2021, 3:39 pm
    Let them eat cake! ha ha ha

    The AP tells us that "Rising baguette price fears are putting French in a crunch."
    "A hike in the cost of wheat is alarming French households who fear a possible rise in the price of the prized baguette, seen by many as a barometer of the country's economic health. Many boulangeries around France are putting up signs, warning customers that the long crunchy staple could be going up in price by 4 to 6 cents, from its average of just over $1. 'Although that might not seem like a lot, it's a huge increase. The baguette is precious. It has only gone up 23 centimes (about 28 cents) in the last 20 years.' said Dominique Anract, president of the French Confederation of Bakeries and Pastry Shops."

    The article then tells us that the bread crunch is linked to a 30% worldwide increase since September in the price of wheat after bad harvests in Russia.

    Fortunately, we are told, "In the Revolution, there was a penury of bread, there was not enough of it. It wasn't about the price of bread. We're not at that stage....yet!"
  • Post #63 - November 5th, 2021, 4:50 pm
    Post #63 - November 5th, 2021, 4:50 pm Post #63 - November 5th, 2021, 4:50 pm
    Joy wrote:The article then tells us that the bread crunch is linked to a 30% worldwide increase since September in the price of wheat after bad harvests in Russia.

    Fortunately, we are told, "In the Revolution, there was a penury of bread, there was not enough of it. It wasn't about the price of bread. We're not at that stage....yet!"

    A bad harvest in Russia affect's prices in France and the world, unbelievable. USSR was always importing wheat, so I doubt this is the issue.

    The price of a kilo basic brown bread was steady 10 kopeks. Yet a kilo of cookies could cost a Rouble or more. In the USSR, the price of bread was very, very sensitive politically.

    The people wasted bread, because it was so cheap. If you fed a pig any leftover bread, you could go to jail.

    I have a Soviet era poster that states, "Bread is labor!"

    I just told my Dad this news about Russian crop failures affecting world wide prices. It was greatly amusing.

    Regards,
    CAthy2
    Cathy2

    "You'll be remembered long after you're dead if you make good gravy, mashed potatoes and biscuits." -- Nathalie Dupree
    Facebook, Twitter, Greater Midwest Foodways,
  • Post #64 - November 5th, 2021, 9:26 pm
    Post #64 - November 5th, 2021, 9:26 pm Post #64 - November 5th, 2021, 9:26 pm
    Russia is now the world's leading exporter of wheat.
    "Your swimming suit matches your eyes, you hold your nose before diving, loving you has made me bananas!"
  • Post #65 - November 5th, 2021, 10:23 pm
    Post #65 - November 5th, 2021, 10:23 pm Post #65 - November 5th, 2021, 10:23 pm
    Katie wrote:Russia is now the world's leading exporter of wheat.

    Quite impressive turn around when you consider:
    Starting in the 1960s, the USSR was a net grain importer. For example, in 1963, it bought 10.4 million tons of grain and 2.1 million tons of flour from the U.S. Furthermore, the amount of imports gradually increased:
    -in 1972, grain imports amounted to 23 million tons;
    -in 1975, to 27 million tons;
    -in 1979, to 31 million tons;
    -in 1980, to 43 million tons.

    The record-high amount of grain imports was recorded in 1985, when the USSR had to purchase 47 million tons.


    Good for them!
    Cathy2

    "You'll be remembered long after you're dead if you make good gravy, mashed potatoes and biscuits." -- Nathalie Dupree
    Facebook, Twitter, Greater Midwest Foodways,
  • Post #66 - December 21st, 2021, 3:40 pm
    Post #66 - December 21st, 2021, 3:40 pm Post #66 - December 21st, 2021, 3:40 pm
    Yes, Candy Canes Are Also Harder to Find This Year

    https://www.foodandwine.com/news/candy- ... rtage-2021
    Never order barbecue in a place that also serves quiche - Lewis Grizzard
  • Post #67 - January 4th, 2022, 1:54 pm
    Post #67 - January 4th, 2022, 1:54 pm Post #67 - January 4th, 2022, 1:54 pm
    Our local appliance store has had very little in stock for awhile now, they have floor models but everything is on back order, mostly with no delivery date listed.

    I had to laugh at the comment upthread about Whole Foods being understocked. In my recent experience (since the Amazon purchase) they're always understocked.
  • Post #68 - January 15th, 2022, 7:39 pm
    Post #68 - January 15th, 2022, 7:39 pm Post #68 - January 15th, 2022, 7:39 pm
    Bare shelves at supermarkets are attributed to omicron, a labor shortage, climate change and other reasons. "We're really seeing the perfect storm," one industry expert told NPR.
    https://www.npr.org/2022/01/12/10724624 ... pad&f=1053
    Never order barbecue in a place that also serves quiche - Lewis Grizzard
  • Post #69 - January 15th, 2022, 8:14 pm
    Post #69 - January 15th, 2022, 8:14 pm Post #69 - January 15th, 2022, 8:14 pm
    I tried 5 different grocery stores in the area and every one said that they had not received a shipment of frozen phyllo dough for several weeks.
  • Post #70 - January 15th, 2022, 8:24 pm
    Post #70 - January 15th, 2022, 8:24 pm Post #70 - January 15th, 2022, 8:24 pm
    lougord99 wrote:I tried 5 different grocery stores in the area and every one said that they had not received a shipment of frozen phyllo dough for several weeks.

    Fresh Farms in Wheeling had some last week. I don’t recall the brand.
    Never order barbecue in a place that also serves quiche - Lewis Grizzard
  • Post #71 - January 15th, 2022, 10:13 pm
    Post #71 - January 15th, 2022, 10:13 pm Post #71 - January 15th, 2022, 10:13 pm
    What's interesting to me is the stocks of these publicly traded grocery stores are all close to there 52 wk highs than than lows including Kroger (KR), Albertsons (ACI), Sprouts Farmers Market (SFM), Walmart (WMT). I wonder if they use the excuse of supply chain, labor, and the pandemic issues to raise prices on staples like paper towels/toilet paper, meat, and dairy products.

    From articles I've read the farmers are not making more money and so the producers/distributers are the ones raising the prices especially on meat products.
  • Post #72 - January 16th, 2022, 9:30 am
    Post #72 - January 16th, 2022, 9:30 am Post #72 - January 16th, 2022, 9:30 am
    Dave148 wrote:Fresh Farms in Wheeling had some last week. I don’t recall the brand.

    Thank you, they had it. I have never been to that store. It is a nice one.
  • Post #73 - January 16th, 2022, 12:32 pm
    Post #73 - January 16th, 2022, 12:32 pm Post #73 - January 16th, 2022, 12:32 pm
    Interesting article on bloomberg with Target Corp CEO in which he said he sees Fewer Store Trips as Shoppers Confront Inflation in 2022. Shoppers will eat more at home and seek out more generic brand alternatives.

    Shoppers are also likely to eat more at home and seek cheaper generic-brand goods in an effort to ease the blow from rising prices, Chief Executive Officer Brian Cornell said Sunday at a National Retail Federation event in New York. Consumer prices jumped 7% last year, the fastest 12-month pace since mid-1982, according to Labor Department data released last week.
    “Some of the historical ways consumers react to inflation will play out again in 2022,” Cornell said. “You’ll drive fewer miles, you’ll consolidate the number of times and locations where you shop. You’ll probably spend a little more eating at home versus your favorite restaurant, and you might make some trade-offs between a national brand and an own brand.

    https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles ... -inflation
  • Post #74 - March 16th, 2022, 8:15 am
    Post #74 - March 16th, 2022, 8:15 am Post #74 - March 16th, 2022, 8:15 am
    Three short quotes from Monday's WSJ. March 14, 2022. The long, detailed article's title on the online site is "Russia-Ukraine War Threatens Wheat Supply, Jolts Prices"
    author Ryan Dezember

    "Russia’s invasion of Ukraine threatens a big portion of the world’s wheat supply and has sent prices on a dizzying ride to new highs as well as the sharpest weekly drop in years. Wheat stockpiles were already running low and prices were the highest in years thanks to two years of poor growing weather when Russia’s attack jammed up Black Sea trading and endangered nearly a third of the world’s exports. The invasion prompted fears of food shortages in countries fed with imported grain and pushed prices to new highs."

    "Analysts and traders don’t know yet the extent to which global wheat supplies will be dented by the war. What remains of last year’s crop has been kept off market due to the closure of Ukrainian ports and shippers’ hesitancy to enter a war zone to fetch Russian wheat. Meanwhile, it is unclear if growers in the region will be able to harvest winter wheat, which was planted in autumn, or plant spring crops in the coming weeks.
    “In six weeks they’ll start planting in Ukraine and Russia,” said Sal Gilbertie, president of Teucrium Trading LLC, which manages the wheat fund. “If it’s disrupted that means a future reduction in supplies that the world is counting on.”

    "The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Wednesday lowered its expectations for Russian and Ukrainian wheat exports during the current marketing year, which began in June, by about 12%. Some of the lost supply will be replaced by exports from Australia, where a record harvest is expected, and India, which has been ramping up shipments abroad amid a string of bumper crops, the Agriculture Department said in its monthly market forecast."
  • Post #75 - April 24th, 2022, 12:41 pm
    Post #75 - April 24th, 2022, 12:41 pm Post #75 - April 24th, 2022, 12:41 pm
    On the "Interwebs", there is a very interesting and disturbing round-up of information about eighteen different food processing plants suffering either explosions or fires or both. It might be hard to convince yourself that it's all just a big coincidence! Make sure you wear your tin foil hat as you read this twitter post:

    https://twitter.com/WallStreetSilv/status/1516947217126506498?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1516947217126506498%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fpjmedia.com%2Fnews-and-politics%2Fjeff-reynolds%2F2022%2F04%2F23%2Fwhats-with-all-the-food-processing-plants-blowing-up-lately-n1591921

    https://twitter.com/WallStreetSilv/status/1516947217126506498/photo/1
  • Post #76 - April 24th, 2022, 12:43 pm
    Post #76 - April 24th, 2022, 12:43 pm Post #76 - April 24th, 2022, 12:43 pm
    It's funny that the disasters are almost all either meat or potato plants! What?? No tofu?!

    And last night, we caught the PBS broadcast of the Chicago Stockyards documentary which was extremely graphic to say the least.
  • Post #77 - April 24th, 2022, 1:11 pm
    Post #77 - April 24th, 2022, 1:11 pm Post #77 - April 24th, 2022, 1:11 pm
    This is part of an ugly conspiracy theory - it shouldn't be given life.
  • Post #78 - April 24th, 2022, 2:03 pm
    Post #78 - April 24th, 2022, 2:03 pm Post #78 - April 24th, 2022, 2:03 pm
    Darren72 wrote:This is part of an ugly conspiracy theory - it shouldn't be given life.

    Couldn't agree more. Sheesh. 8)

    =R=
    Same planet, different world
  • Post #79 - April 24th, 2022, 2:26 pm
    Post #79 - April 24th, 2022, 2:26 pm Post #79 - April 24th, 2022, 2:26 pm
    What can we say? Each incident did happen. Each is separately reported in that town's news. You can verify every one of them.
  • Post #80 - April 24th, 2022, 10:43 pm
    Post #80 - April 24th, 2022, 10:43 pm Post #80 - April 24th, 2022, 10:43 pm
    Joy wrote:It's funny that the disasters are almost all either meat or potato plants! What?? No tofu?!
    .


    The recent crash of a UPS contract jet at the Burley, ID airport that struck a potato processing facility was attributed to pilot air in less than ideal conditions. The potato plant facility was NOT equipped with lights even though it was adjacent to a runway.

    https://www.eastidahonews.com/2022/04/p ... her-smile/

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xWzMD1 ... lancolirio

    I will say several things about manufacturing in 2022 that are much different from pre-pandemic times. First, a lot of the older and more experienced employees have been retiring at a very rapid rate. Part of it could be attributed to getting a lot of time off. However, nearly all of the people I know in food and related plants did NOT slow down in 2020-2022. I think that a good number of them just got tired of working all of the time due to staff shortages and are looking for part-time and gig employment. I know several people who are retiring and are being rehired as consultants at a much higher rate.

    Second, with the loss of experienced help, especially in supervisory and technical positions, a lot of the practices of operating a plant safely and smoothly are going by the boards. Many plants have lost a lot of their "tribal knowledge" as people with 30+ years of experience are replaced by temps and rookies.

    Third, there is a LOT of deferred maintenance in a lot of these plants, especially the ones that have been sold by the large companies to private equity firms. I have several people who have told me that equipment that had been replaced every 5-7 years for safety reasons has not been replaced in 15-20 years. I have heard from several sources that OSHA inspections have been curtailed since the beginning of the pandemic.

    Those are observations that I have heard with all names and companies removed to protect the innocent. It all make me glad that I retired in 2013.
  • Post #81 - April 24th, 2022, 11:11 pm
    Post #81 - April 24th, 2022, 11:11 pm Post #81 - April 24th, 2022, 11:11 pm
    I wonder how many 'shortages' there'd be if we weren't so reliant on processed and manufactured foods.

    =R=
    Same planet, different world
  • Post #82 - April 27th, 2022, 1:48 am
    Post #82 - April 27th, 2022, 1:48 am Post #82 - April 27th, 2022, 1:48 am
    For anybody like me that is going to Jazz Fest in New Orleans that starts this Friday, there are several popular long time food booths that are going to sit out this year, because they are having problems getting one or more of the ingredients they use. There are not going to be any cracklings this year, or Cajun duck po boys.

    The last jazz fest took place in 2019, and so people are anxious to get back to the fairgrounds. Unfortunately. though they are not requiring people to show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test.
  • Post #83 - April 27th, 2022, 12:51 pm
    Post #83 - April 27th, 2022, 12:51 pm Post #83 - April 27th, 2022, 12:51 pm
    ronnie_suburban wrote:I wonder how many 'shortages' there'd be if we weren't so reliant on processed and manufactured foods.

    =R=


    On other forums, I am constantly reading about all of the "shortages" that people are complaining about. I have been asking people what products are unavailable and I get things like Caffeine-free Coca-Cola, Strawberry Pop-Tarts and the like. They always seem to be items with little or no demand.

    I am NOT hearing about the same type of shortages that we saw in mid-2000 on basic staples like flour, sugar, and toilet paper. In fact, locally, I am seeing king Arthur flour at the 99 Only store and in other salvage-type stores.
  • Post #84 - April 27th, 2022, 1:53 pm
    Post #84 - April 27th, 2022, 1:53 pm Post #84 - April 27th, 2022, 1:53 pm
    jlawrence01 wrote:In fact, locally, I am seeing king Arthur flour at the 99 Only store and in other salvage-type stores.

    I bought KA bread flour a few months ago that was roughly $7., thankfully I had a manufacturer's coupon to obtain it for free. I bought another bag recently for under $5.

    I have bought Gold Medal flour and whole wheat flour at a salvage store for less than $2. in the last few months.

    Just in my family circle, the Covid avid baker is no longer baking. Of course, I do bake whenever I wish.

    Regards,
    Cathy2
    Cathy2

    "You'll be remembered long after you're dead if you make good gravy, mashed potatoes and biscuits." -- Nathalie Dupree
    Facebook, Twitter, Greater Midwest Foodways,
  • Post #85 - April 27th, 2022, 5:12 pm
    Post #85 - April 27th, 2022, 5:12 pm Post #85 - April 27th, 2022, 5:12 pm
    Keep an eye on avian influenza, which is highly contagious including respiratory secretions and bird droppings and is spread by migratory birds, particularly water fowl. There is no treatment or vaccine so infected flocks are culled. The Iowa outbreaks ranged from backyard flocks to two very large egg producers, which was a factor in egg supply running up to Easter.

    Minnesota produces a lot of the turkey poults (chicks for many other birds) used in the Midwest with a substantial part hatching in April through June. Hoka gets their poults from Minnesota. If there are any big hits in Iowa or Minnesota, which are both major turkey producers, there will be supply problems this fall.
  • Post #86 - April 28th, 2022, 6:32 am
    Post #86 - April 28th, 2022, 6:32 am Post #86 - April 28th, 2022, 6:32 am
    In the news recently, those who have bird feeders and water baths were:

    First told to move them away from the winter feeding area to new location.

    Later told to remove bird feeders and water baths, because now there is plenty of food.

    All in an effort to remove another opportunity for birds to comingle and pass on bird flu.
    Cathy2

    "You'll be remembered long after you're dead if you make good gravy, mashed potatoes and biscuits." -- Nathalie Dupree
    Facebook, Twitter, Greater Midwest Foodways,
  • Post #87 - May 1st, 2022, 7:59 am
    Post #87 - May 1st, 2022, 7:59 am Post #87 - May 1st, 2022, 7:59 am
    Sunflower Oil ‘Vanishes’ as Ukraine War Grinds On.
    https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/30/worl ... ticleShare
    Never order barbecue in a place that also serves quiche - Lewis Grizzard
  • Post #88 - June 9th, 2022, 5:02 pm
    Post #88 - June 9th, 2022, 5:02 pm Post #88 - June 9th, 2022, 5:02 pm
    From CNN today although based on an April 19 letter to distributors Sriracha shortage:
    Huy Fong Inc., one of the world's largest producers in the Asian hot sauce market, says it anticipates a major shortage of its beloved Sriracha.
    "Unfortunately, we can confirm that there is an unprecedented shortage of our products," the company said in a statement. "We are still endeavoring to resolve this issue that has been caused by several spiraling events, including unexpected crop failure from the spring chili harvest."

    Although chili peppers have consistently been in short supply since the early days of the Covid pandemic, Huy Fong warned in April that an even more severe shortage of chilies was taking place due to severe weather conditions affecting the quality of the peppers. The situation is "out of our control" and would detrimentally affect the making and selling of Sriracha, the company said in an April 19 letter to distributors.
    ...
    The halt in production applies to Huy Fong's signature Sriracha hot chili sauce as well as its Chili Garlic and Sambal Oelek products.
  • Post #89 - June 10th, 2022, 9:02 am
    Post #89 - June 10th, 2022, 9:02 am Post #89 - June 10th, 2022, 9:02 am
    A newsletter I read (the Morning Brew) had a story about the sriracha shortage and provided a link for alternatives.
    -Mary
  • Post #90 - June 10th, 2022, 3:26 pm
    Post #90 - June 10th, 2022, 3:26 pm Post #90 - June 10th, 2022, 3:26 pm
    Given this shortage, I must link to my sauce which is super easy to make: viewtopic.php?p=466465

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