Food is essential to keeping us alive and maintaining our health. Eating and cooking are also sources of comfort for many. So when grocery stores across the country have empty shelves, it can be panic-inducing.

From dangers lurking in the store to what the unofficial food of the pandemic is, here are 12 things to know about how COVID-19 is impacting food supply chains, supermarket protocol, and customer shopping habits.

 

1. Why Shelves Are Bare

Grocery store shelves may be bare, for a number of reasons:

• Food is flying off the shelves to build consumers’ stockpiles.
• Previously, people were eating out more often, but now that consumer habits are changing, the supply chain needs time to catch up and redirect food allocations.
• There have been issues getting the food to the stores because of “coronavirus mitigation efforts constricting the normal pace of global transportation and trade, which affects global ocean shipping capacity, trucking restrictions, and trade practices.”
• “After initially restricting immigration from Mexico on account of the virus, the Trump administration eventually debuted a new streamlined H-2A visa process April 3 and designated existing farmworkers, with or without proper legal status, as essential workers,” reports Food Dive.

Overall, though, reports confirm there is enough food.

2. Shoppers Are Reaching for Canned, Frozen Foods

For years, we’ve believed that fresh is best. In fact, we’ve gone a step further with our food habits shaped by the locavore movement. The movement to eat locally produced food has been touted as healthier, especially because fewer chemical preservatives are needed when the transportation of food is reduced — an added bonus is that less travel time in the supply chain means less pollution, so it’s also greener. Eating locally sourced food also aids local farms and small businesses, improving local economics.

With the public being told to have a minimum two-week supply of essentials, many are turning away from fresh produce and toward “non-perishable food.” In truth, “non-perishable” is a misnomer: all foods are at risk for spoiling eventually, so beware of eating anything you’ve had stocked since Y2K. “Analysts have predicted that consumption of shelf-stable and frozen packaged foods will temporarily increase during the pandemic, and so far those expectations have come true,” reported Food Dive.

Frozen vegetables and canned beans can be difficult to source in grocery stores right now. If you can find these items, it’s healthier to stay away from anything that is preseasoned in its packaging or high in sodium. If you cannot find frozen or canned foods readily available, consider heart-healthy alternatives like nuts — including nut butters — seeds, and dried fruit. You may find improved health and more efficient use of your time from following a raw food diet. Also, being a locavore doesn’t inherently equal eating only fresh food: some of your favorite local purveyors may offer pickling, drying, curing, jams, and wines.

3. Fresh from the Panic Gardens

Since citizens are trying to keep their trips to the grocery store infrequent and often have to wait upwards of a week for grocery store deliveries — and may be concerned about possible food scarcity — they’re leaving their fresh produce to be extra local: they’re starting “pandemic gardens.”

Seed companies have stopped taking orders in some cases because they can’t keep up with the demand. In Michigan, many stores were temporarily banned from selling seeds. The 144-year-old Burpee Seeds, based in Pennsylvania, temporarily halted orders to catch up on orders. Meanwhile, Seed Savers Exchange added 16 new hires to their 60-person crew. The issue isn’t a lack of seed supply but rather a lack of pre-packaging and shipping for such an early and high demand.

This means grocery stores may be wise to sell seeds and gardening tools as well as pre-potted plants like herbs. They should be cautioned of continued smaller sales of fresh produce.

4. Got Milk?

Milk, eggs, bread, and water are usually the first items swept up during a crisis. It’s been no exception with the coronavirus. Grocery stores, at least toward the beginning of the pandemic, struggled to keep milk in stock.

Shockingly, dairies are dumping milk, though. Reuters reports, “Mass closures of restaurants and schools have forced a sudden shift from those wholesale food-service markets to retail grocery stores, creating logistical and packaging nightmares for plants processing milk, butter, and cheese.” Dairies still have to milk cows even if the demand is lower because, just like nursing human mothers, the cows will stop producing milk if it’s not used.

To combat milk waste, the Lakeland, Florida-based grocery chain Publix is stepping up to help out farmers and the hungry by buying surfeit supplies of milk from farmers in the area and donating the milk to food banks. They expect the first week’s donation to be 43,500 gallons. Likewise, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo will also expedite purchasing milk from farms to send to food banks.

5. Baking Is Therapy

The number of Google searches for “bread” hit a record the week of March 22, 2020. “We’ve done some research and found that only a quarter of the people buying our flour are stockpiling. The majority of people are just baking but four to 10 times the usual amount,” reports Bon Appétit.

Culinary art therapist Julie Ohana says people are stress baking because of the comfort it provides.

“For the four-week period ending April 11, yeast sales jumped 410% year over year, according to market research firm Nielsen,” reports USA Today. The same report said, “Fleischmann’s has no shortage of raw materials needed to make yeast. The company is hiring and training new workers, dusting off unused equipment and ramping up production. And it’s replenishing low supplies of paper packets and jars.”

Likewise, flour is flying off the shelves. Bill Tine of Vermont’s King Arthur Flour explains, “Because the supply chains for the food service industry and for consumers are distinct, operating with different mills and in different parts of the country, it’s not that easy to redirect flour.” He says there’s enough flour, but the supply has been limited because of packaging line operations. Now, he’s added more shifts for the mill workers and added a new production hub.

The most popular baked good to come out of these surreal times does not require yeast, though. In fact, it’s apparently the most popular comfort food even taking savory meals into consideration. It’s banana bread. The reason for this, The Kitchn explained, is that bananas are low-cost so consumers buy them in bulk, and if they go bad, they can easily be repurposed as banana bread. It’s become so ubiquitous that someone on Twitter even joked: “Is Covid-19 sponsored by banana bread?”

6. Carnivores, Be Warned

Things aren’t looking great for meat manufacturing right now. More than 30 meat production plants have had coronavirus outbreaks, resulting in the death of 17 and the illness of 3,300 workers.

“Because of outbreaks of the novel coronavirus, over the past several weeks Tyson, JBS, and Smithfield have closed 15 plants, devastating rural communities and threatening the nation’s supply of beef and pork. Industry analysts say production is already down by at least 25%,” reports The Washington Post.

Some are claiming that managers told them to come in even if they felt sick, and the general consensus was that PPE was not distributed until late and not mandated until even later. Many of the plants haven’t implemented social distancing measures. Now, Tyson has placed infrared scanners at the entrance to their facilities, even though the FDA has not confirmed that these types of scanners can actually detect fevers.

About 50 people walked off the job at Perdue Farms in Georgia last month. Some claimed poor sanitation at the meat purveyor and feared getting sick because of the working conditions.

“Citing his authority under the Defense Production Act, Trump declared in an executive order that ‘it is important that processors of beef, pork, and poultry (‘meat and poultry’) in the food supply chain continue operating and fulfilling orders to ensure a continued supply of protein for Americans,’” reported USA Today on April 28, 2020.

7. Designated Shopping Hours for Seniors and At-Risk Individuals

Not only has COVID-19 disproportionately threatened the health of senior citizens but, when grocery shopping turned into a competitive battleground for food, it left them with scarce options. Likewise, individuals with immunodeficiencies feared going to the grocery store to be a death sentence.

Fortunately, many retailers took note and have implemented designated shopping hours solely for senior citizens and those of any age who are most susceptible to COVID-19.  Here is a thorough round-up grocery stores with designated shopping hours for the vulnerable.

It took a crisis for stores to recognize the shopping challenges that many face, and this is an excellent opportunity for an ongoing operational shift to serve more vulnerable members of the population.

8. Long Lines Outside the Store Are Good for Your Health

The long lines you’re seeing outside your favorite grocery store aren’t an indicator that the store is crowded, that there is no food on the shelves, or that there is another long line at the checkout counter. In fact, the converse may be true.

The long lines outside are because stores are only letting a few people in at a time so that people can maintain social distancing while they shop. How many people allowed inside generally depends on the size of the store. Fewer people inside the stores makes it easier for you to stay healthy.

Another silver lining: You’re probably sitting more than ever while sheltering-in-place, and studies indicate that too much sitting is linked to a whole slew of diseases even if you exercise. Standing and getting a little fresh air is probably good for your mind and body.

9. Sanitized Shopping Carts

Before the coronavirus, did it ever occur to you how many shoppers had touched the shopping cart or shopping basket before you? Did it ever cross your mind to wonder if the handles were ever washed down and sanitized? If you have small children you probably did, but if you were in a rush to pick up a few items to throw dinner together that night you likely didn’t think about the dangers lurking on your grocery store cart handle.

Prepare to be disgusted: Long before we ever had to fear COVID-19, researchers discovered grocery store shopping carts were dirtier than public restrooms. A whopping 72% of the carts they tested suggest that fecal matter contaminated the carts.

COVID-19 has given us a whole new reason to sanitize our shopping carts. A lot of stores are using sanitizing wipes to disinfect handles before each use. Here are a few noteworthy cleaning methods grocers are implementing:

• Birmingham, Alabama-based Sanitizit got input from grocers and now manufactures a portable machine that can be placed anywhere in the store. Several carts can roll through at the same time, and a quick-drying mist sanitizes the entire cart. An attached wand allows workers to clean cash registers too. See the Sanitizit in action in this video.
• In Philadelphia, workers created their own sanitizing station using a system of pulleys to drop the carts into a soap-and-water bucket, then a rinse bucket, before going into the sanitizing bin. See this creative solution in this video.
• In Texas, Totally Under Pressure is using a two-step process: 1) spray the carts with a bacteria killer that’s 12.5% bleach. 2) Pressure wash the carts with hot water. Check it out in this video.

10. X Marks the Spot at Checkout

Because stores are not allowing as many people inside at the same time, shoppers don’t have to wait on long lines to check out. To help customers maintain social distancing, many stores have designated slots in line six feet apart using masking tape.

11. Maybe Forgo Your Tote Bag for Now

Many cities and states have banned plastic bags, but during the coronavirus outbreak be careful of using a reusable tote bag. Lisa Sedlar, Green Zebra founder and CEO, said, “In the best of times, reusable bags can be unhygienic because a lot of people don’t wash them with soap and water after each use.”

Many grocers still allow you to use your own tote bag, but require you to then bag your own groceries in case your bag is harboring germs that could contaminate the checkout clerk.

After each use, clean your reusable bags. Wipe them down with a disinfectant or throw them in the washing machine. You should get in the habit of always doing that because studies indicate that more than half of all reusable bags are breeding grounds for bacteria.

12. Do You Need to Sanitize Your Groceries?

There have been no confirmed reports of anybody contracting COVID-19 from food or food packaging. That said, you touch more things than you realize when you leave home: door handles, shopping carts, checkout touch screens, you name it.

When you get home, wash your hands thoroughly. Research so far indicates that COVID-19 can live on cardboard for up to 24 hours and on plastic for up to 72 hours. “The U.S. Centers for Disease Control currently does not recommend disinfecting packaging,” reports The Guardian. If it gives you peace of mind, some say you can use a disinfectant wipe on the outer packaging of what you bought, however others say it’s safer to stick with soap and water because disinfectant could contaminate your food.

In either case, wipe in a consistent downward motion as opposed to swirling motions. After you’ve put away the groceries, be sure to wipe down any surfaces, such as kitchen countertops and tables that have come in contact with the groceries, with a disinfectant. Then, rewash your hands.

Do not let food come in contact with disinfectants. Even common dish soap can be dangerous if consumed. The last thing you need is to accidentally poison yourself and end up in the hospital. Wash fruits and veggies in cold water.

 

Stephanie Nikolopoulos is the editor of Thomas Insights and the Thomas Industry Update newsletter. Stephanie coauthored the literary biography Burning Furiously Beautiful.  This article first appeared in Thomas Industry Updates.

 

Image Credit: Nikolay Litvak / Shutterstock

 

 

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