Grocery store supply chains

19 March 2020, 10:27 AM

quote:
Stuck rationing toilet paper because you didn’t stockpile during the coronavirus panic over the last few days? Don’t worry, according to supply chain experts.

“All the grocery stores are going to have pallets of toilet paper sitting in the aisles, and nobody is going to buy it, because who needs to buy toilet paper when you’ve got a year’s worth sitting in your garage?” Daniel Stanton, a supply chain expert and author of “Supply Chain Management for Dummies,” tells CNBC Make It.

But what about food?

Even if the COVID-19 pandemic stretches over months (President Donald Trump said it could last until August), there will be no big food shortages, especially on staples like milk, eggs, cheese, bread and meat, according to three supply chain experts who spoke to Make It.

But your favorite brand or the exact kind of fruit you want could be scarce.

“The brand that you normally want may not be available. But, hey, there’s some other kind of pasta. Or instead of rice, we’re going to have potatoes for dinner,” Stanton says.

“The U.S. produces a huge amount of food. We’re also an exporter of food, so we’re going to be okay,” he adds.

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/1...ble-in-pandemic.html

19 March 2020, 10:31 AM

ShiroKuro

quote:
All the grocery stores are going to have pallets of toilet paper sitting in the aisles, and nobody is going to buy it

I am going to choose to believe this and not try to order anything (like the industrial toilet paper rolls etc.)

quote:
But your favorite brand or the exact kind of fruit you want could be scarce.

This we can live with.

We had to laugh when we did our stocking-up trip yesterday (was that yesterday? it seems like years ago...)

Anyway, at Walmart, the Progresso soup section was almost completely empty -- except for Italian Wedding soup! Evidently people down here don't like that kind of soup.

We bought a few cans

19 March 2020, 10:40 AM

Mikhailoh

Really? Italian wedding soup is great. I'm not a big fan of Progresso soups, but it sure beats pine bark or a fresh squirrel.

19 March 2020, 10:48 AM

ShiroKuro

Italian food stuffs in general don't seem to be all that common down here, so that might be part of the reason.

I like Progresso soups, and they are literally a dollar less at Walmart compared to the other two big grocery stores down here.

And I've always loved Italian wedding soup, although I like the kind my mother makes better than Progresso's!

I was also surprised to see Walmart sell out of Cento brand in the various types of canned tomatoes (crushed, peeled etc.) before the Contadina brand. Although that might be because the store stocks more of the Contadina (as opposed to people buying more Cento).

19 March 2020, 11:14 AM

QuirtEvans

We live on Progresso soups here. Although they no longer make my favorite (Albondigss, which was a tomato-based soup with small meatballs and rice). But the chicken corn chowder, the New England clam chowder, and the three cheese tortellini are staples.

19 March 2020, 11:26 AM

Nina

I'm a huge fan of Progresso New England clam chowder. Not the healthiest thing on the planet, but what canned soup really is?

Wolfgang Puck has (had) a series of canned soups that were not bad. Veggie barley, iirc, was particularly good.

But, and being honest here, when I'm sick my comfort food is Campbell's chicken noodle soup, just like my mom used to give me when I was a kid. None of this fancy-schmancy Progresso chicken noodle for me.

19 March 2020, 11:34 AM

Steve Miller

I grew up on Riviera soup, especially the Minestrone. It's very different from other Minestrones - very thick and the flavor is unique. It's an acquired taste and there are stories on the 'net of people trying it for the first time, deciding it must be spoiled, and throwing it away.

I haven't had it in a long time. I wonder if they still make it.