[Fleeter]

Hi all,

I'm interested to know if y'all have suggestion for how we can keep tabs on the food supply chain. I live in a large city. People have made runs on the supermarkets, but they're still being restocked and we could get fresh produce if we chose to go shopping (which we have not, since it seems better to be in self-quarantine for the time being).

It's impossible to see the future, but as truck drivers and agricultural workers and the sundry others who grow, process, and transport our food get sick, I wonder if we'll face shortages in the coming weeks/months.

Hence the question: what news outlets or sources would be good to follow to keep tabs on the food supply chain here in the US? Any suggestions are welcome!

Fleeter

 

[leadcounsel]

I wouldn't count on a reliable food chain, and I would urge getting as much food within reason to allow you to have a supply for at least several months and also prevent you from having to needless expose yourself.

For instance, I have several months of food, probably 6 if I need. My fresh food resupply plan is to go out once every 2 weeks and carefully get fresh resupply so I can extend my canned and dry goods and get fresh foods.

I've seen reports of significant interruptions possible in the manufacture and distribution of goods including food items.

 

[sygata]

It is a little unsettling that amazon/costco don't have their supplies refilled couple weeks after the first buying craziness.

 

[AZ_HighCountry]

Ok, I tried to explain this in a couple of other threads. Maybe the third time is a charm.

STOP PANIC BUYING!!!! SHOP NORMALLY!!!

Seriously. The Costcos / Amazons/ Walmarts / Krogers / Wincos of the world are getting slammed and are doing everything they can to restock. Trucks are being diverted in transit. Stores have no idea what is arriving until it arrives due to the diversions. They are trying to plug holes because of a shortage here or an outage there. There are only so many trucks and so many trailers. The IMS (inventory management systems) are being pushed to the limit to fill restocking orders. If there is one thing I would NOT want to be is a demand / fulfillment / or transportation route planner. I've done all those jobs and during peak times it is crazy. This makes peak times look like an afternoon in the park.

 

[AZ_HighCountry]

If you want an idea as to what I am seeing now, look for my most recent posts in the panic buying thread. Costco, Fry's, Sprouts all coming back to some semblance of normalcy. Yes, quite a few items still low or out of stock but there are quite a few more that are at full stocking levels.

Learn to adapt.

 

[sygata]

If you want an idea as to what I am seeing now, look for my most recent posts in the panic buying thread. Costco, Fry's, Sprouts all coming back to some semblance of normalcy. Yes, quite a few items still low or out of stock but there are quite a few more that are at full stocking levels.

Learn to adapt.

Again, it is not like I need anything in particular, but just monitoring situation makes me feel worried. And can we please stop those all caps bold large ads fonts? I am pretty sure the majority of people here are not the once "panic buying", you are targeting the wrong crowd anyway. Do it on nextdoor

 

[AZ_HighCountry]

Most of what you listed in that ad WAS IN STOCK this afternoon at the Costco I went to.

People on NextDoor are being stupid. It's now becoming like Pokemon only for toilet paper.

 

[Fonz]

View from rom N FL here. Phoned neighbor yesterday and they had recently been to walmart for grocery/domestics resupply, so I asked how it looked there. They said pretty good, everything was mostly restocked except for some holes in the frozen foods selection, some fruits and veggies, paper towels and TP selection pretty scarce.

One thing for sure about the TP. For a bunch of unprepared people that never worried about the SHTF, they apparently got worried quick about the S hitting their hand.

 

[DRH.1979]

Ok, I tried to explain this in a couple of other threads. Maybe the third time is a charm.

STOP PANIC BUYING!!!! SHOP NORMALLY!!!

Seriously.

So you want people to go shop 2-3 times a week? That's just plain dumb. I loaded up so that I can stay away from stores, which is the ONLY risk point for me at this point. I may decide to risk one stop at Costco in 3-4 weeks when we run out of fruits and veggies IF the situation is fairly stable and I take extreme care PPE and all.

 

[PeterWiggin]

Back to the topic...

I too am concerned about our semi-fragile supply chain. I'd appreciate insights into how bad it will get over the coming months

 

[dealfinder500]

It is a little unsettling that amazon/costco don't have their supplies refilled couple weeks after the first buying craziness.

They are refilling them. But people keep buying them as fast as they refill them. That causes more people to keep buying them, and it just escalates.

 

[PeterWiggin]

.

Hence the question: what news outlets or sources would be good to follow to keep tabs on the food supply chain here in the US?

Bumping the questions

 

[Steverino]

This is the real risk in what the FED is about to do... because a natural byproduct of increasing the money supply is inflation... but THIS is an orders of magnitude titanic flood of currency into the economy. My expectation (and fear) is that after this series of Congressional bills are passed it will only result in already fearful consumers simply snapping up what is left in the supply chain... and absolutely make supplies more scarce than they already are.

Result? Instant price inflation.

If you can, get more supplies now. More food just "means more for later."

Better to have than not.

 

[Fonz]

Bumping the questions

Probably better following local consumer or community blogs if your area has them.

Also consider local farmers markets as another source, even flea markets have good produce selection, just get in, get out early before the crowds get there and while the selection is best/hasnt been handled much.

I wouldnt trust the news sources for any meaningful updates on supply chain issues until it is already too late.

 

[GunGourd]

Ok, I tried to explain this in a couple of other threads. Maybe the third time is a charm.

STOP PANIC BUYING!!!! SHOP NORMALLY!!!

Seriously. The Costcos / Amazons/ Walmarts / Krogers / Wincos of the world are getting slammed and are doing everything they can to restock. Trucks are being diverted in transit. Stores have no idea what is arriving until it arrives due to the diversions. They are trying to plug holes because of a shortage here or an outage there. There are only so many trucks and so many trailers. The IMS (inventory management systems) are being pushed to the limit to fill restocking orders. If there is one thing I would NOT want to be is a demand / fulfillment / or transportation route planner. I've done all those jobs and during peak times it is crazy. This makes peak times look like an afternoon in the park.

This is not a temporary surge. If it was, it would have passed. There are clearly disruptions in the supply line.

Every time a communist regime fails to keep food in the stores, it cries about hoarders. It passes laws against hoarding. It always blames hoarding. Now the same scapegoat is being used in America, of all places.

 

[AZ_HighCountry]

This is not a temporary surge. If it was, it would have passed. There are clearly disruptions in the supply line.

Every time a communist regime fails to keep food in the stores, it cries about hoarders. It passes laws against hoarding. It always blames hoarding. Now the same scapegoat is being used in America, of all places.

This is just foolishness. I work for the one of the largest logistics companies in the world. I am in operations, management, and know what it is I am talking about. I am already seeing the signs of stabilization in my area but it is coming with a cost.

 

[woozy]

Sometimes lately I find it hard to believe I'm on a prepper board. It's a bad dream where I fall down the rabbit-hole into Facebook.

Buy and behave normally if you wish, but after the effects of decimated shipping from China, closed businesses, inavailability of components and parts, border closings, and other things we haven't even thought of yet, begin to show long-term effects, I'll have food, if nobody robs me. Non-prepper types and the, "it's just the flu, bro", people will be eating bugs, a-la Sarajevo.

Saying things have, "stabilized", when we haven't even begun to feel the effects of shortages due to the pandemic in China, is ludicrous. I have two eyes, and in my area, I haven't seen any meat in the stores in several weeks. All of the stores around me are closed, with huge empty parking lots, but everything is recovering? The surge of sick people haven't even hit the hospitals yet, but we're recovering? Do the BSers think we're stupid?

The government and industry con-artistry to calm the masses isn't working on people with 2 brain cells to rub together.

 

[ttkciar]

I have two eyes, and in my area, I haven't seen any meat in the stores in several weeks.

I don't think AZ is disputing that, but is saying that the disruption is at the store, as panic-buyers are purchasing goods faster than shipments can resupply the grocer.

The supply chain upstream of the store is in good shape, except for the disruption of shipments from China (which impacts some products, but not all or even most).

That isn't to say the problem at the store isn't itself a threat, only that it's a shallow one.

 

[Fleeter]

We're pretty set up on food and essentials. I'm mostly interested in how the 13+ million people in metro LA will react when/if the shelves don't get restocked. It's a problem of having the knowledge and getting the timing right if need be. I think this is gonna get worse before it gets better.

 

[txprep]

I wouldn't count on a reliable food chain, and I would urge getting as much food within reason to allow you to have a supply for at least several months and also prevent you from having to needless expose yourself.

For instance, I have several months of food, probably 6 if I need. My fresh food resupply plan is to go out once every 2 weeks and carefully get fresh resupply so I can extend my canned and dry goods and get fresh foods.

I've seen reports of significant interruptions possible in the manufacture and distribution of goods including food items.

this is basically what Im doing. My freezer is full, my family (5) could live 100% off preps for about 3 months. We are mostly getting fresh food delivered so we dont have to go out, but they are unable to deliver a few things so I went to the store today to get them. Luckily it was all in stock.