Two years into the pandemic, it looks like we are back to the start of 2020’s food scene as grocery store shortages seem to be back. From tomatoes to tampons, shortages in grocery stores are threatening to upend the holiday season as people scramble to stock up before it gets acute. Brazil is already facing a shortage in coffee harvests.
Many of these food shortages have been aggravated by the ongoing Ukraine war and pandemic-related supply chain issues. Food shortage 2022 is also a result of a scarce harvest due to climate change. Higher temperatures, droughts, and unpredictable weather have had a negative impact on harvest leading to food shortages.
What grocery items are in short supply?
A shortage of carbon dioxide has impacted the food industry and bee production. Contamination of the reserves under an extinct volcano has negatively impacted beer production, leading to shortages. One of America’s favorite condiments, Sriracha hot sauce, is struggling to keep up with demand as a severe drought in Western regions resulted in shortage of chili peppers. Drought has also forced corn farmers to turn to soybean, resulting in shortages of popcorn.
The world’s largest wheat exporters Russia and Ukraine are engaged in a war. This has led to grocery food shortages of flour, and resultant products like pretzels, pasta, and bread. One of the greatest victims of the bird flu epidemic are turkeys, resulting in an epic shortage just before holiday season, making food shortage 2022 sadder. Climate change impact has been felt in mustard production and the US will soon face shortages in grocery stores. A warm winter means less peaches while low milk production has exacerbated fears of a butter shortage.
Supply chain issues and pandemic-related problems also caused a severe shortage of baby food in the US. It did not help matters that a baby formula recall by Abbott Nutrition, which produces several popular brands of formula, was initiated while stores faced higher demand.
How does climate change affect food shortage?
Climate change impact can be felt severely in food production. Food quality and access to food can be limited as a result of climate change impact on agriculture.
Extreme weather events have caused grocery store storages that have caused food prices to skyrocket. It has also affected communities engaged in cultivating specific crops as crop yield and changing weather wreak havoc on harvests. Rising temperatures have affected barley, maize, millet, pulses, rice, and wheat production around the world. As of 2021, extreme weather has caused losses of up to $3.6 trillion.
Research suggests that up to 30% of the expected increase in growth of European crops has been canceled out by adverse weather. Plastics in soil also threaten agricultural yield and overall health.
Rising sea-water levels also present a worrying future as it can change groundwater and cause flooding on agricultural land.
Any climate-related disturbance to food distribution and transport also restricts access to quality food for poorer communities. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) found that the higher average global temperatures and more extreme weather events associated with climate change will significantly reduce the reliability of food production.
The world has taken note of the harmful effects of climate change and launched programs to combat it. But progress is slow. Recently, asset managers committed $16 trillion to achieve net zero goals.
Are there food supply chain issues?
A recent survey by the Food Industry Association (FMI) highlighted that 70% of retailers are still negatively impacted by supply chain disruptions.
Labor shortages and shipping capacity restraints have interrupted supply chains leading to grocery store shortages, as companies are unable to match demand with supply. Fresh food supply chains have borne the brunt of these disruptions as back stock can result in spoilage and loss of customers.
Many workers left the food industry in search of better pay and food retailers have been forced to turn to robots and AI to manage inventory. As food shortage started becoming more frequent, consumers also turned to local farms for easy access.
