"The industry is likely to experience constraints in the weeks to come, and experts say some cuts of meat could end up being limited on shelves. Inventory heading to supermarkets is still strong, according to USDA data, which in 2016 identified 35,000 food and beverage manufacturing facilities in the U.S. and more than 30 states with at least 300 factories.
“Despite the fact there has been tremendous consolidation of large food companies over the least 20 years, there has been an equal amount of innovation as well,” says Brown. “This diversification should serve us well in this time when our food system is working overtime to keep up with today’s stockpiling of food at the household level. These facilities also tend to be located in geographies outside of major population centers that are experiencing the most rapid spread of COVID-19.”
The message isn’t filtering down to consumers. Pandemic stockpiling has already pushed demand for meat to a new high, which overwhelmed slaughterhouses are struggling to keep up with: Meat purchases are up 50% and sales of frozen food are up 40%, the highest growth rates across nationwide grocery stores, according to Nielsen data published at the end of March.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/chloes...e-reality-is-far-less-worrisome/#7d6eca602a6b
“Despite the fact there has been tremendous consolidation of large food companies over the least 20 years, there has been an equal amount of innovation as well,” says Brown. “This diversification should serve us well in this time when our food system is working overtime to keep up with today’s stockpiling of food at the household level. These facilities also tend to be located in geographies outside of major population centers that are experiencing the most rapid spread of COVID-19.”
The message isn’t filtering down to consumers. Pandemic stockpiling has already pushed demand for meat to a new high, which overwhelmed slaughterhouses are struggling to keep up with: Meat purchases are up 50% and sales of frozen food are up 40%, the highest growth rates across nationwide grocery stores, according to Nielsen data published at the end of March.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/chloes...e-reality-is-far-less-worrisome/#7d6eca602a6b
