The emergence of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, wreaked havoc, and frustrations across humanity. It has taken so much toll not only on different sectors like the food industry.
With the lockdown announcement as the federal authority's measure to keep everyone safe, people have splurged their money to stock up on things like alcohol, sanitizers, and even foods that lead to food shortages.
We can't blame people because that is a human instinct. When you can't go out of the house, you need to stock up on things that could keep you alive, like food, and because the virus abruptly enters the picture, food manufacturers are also not ready for the situation they will be dealing with.
Coronavirus vaccines are rolling out in all the states now. Thus, these items that went out of stock in 2020 will likely not be gone this 2021.
Flour Shortage
Miller Pete Loosmore shows grain and the finished product of flour on May 06, 2020 in Sherborne, England. The ancient Sturminster Newton water mill produces flour for the local community to help meet the increase in demand during the lockdown after local grocers reported shortages. The mill became a tourist attraction as a working museum in 1970 and have a long history, including a mention in the Domesday Book of 1086.
During the quarantine, people discovered an inner baker that made baking a favorite activity during the quarantine. According to Eat This Not That, the flour shortage is not because of hoarding but because the baking ingredient workers wait for their test results. Facilities were deep cleaned at that time, making Eat This Not That concludes that the shortage of flour is related to lack of production.
Read also: British Government Is Facing Food Shortage As It Enters 2021
Meat
Upon the pandemic entrance, you might have noticed that their aisle's meat products are not that many. This is because there is also a shortage of the product. Time reports that the farms in the U.S. are still full of animals raised for meat production during that time. However, it notes that meat companies in the U.S. halted their operations in plants that happen to have employees who tested positive for COVID-19. Eat This Not That notes that in the present, the supply for meat products has stabilized.
Yeast
USA Today notes that yeast shortage began when consumers had their panic buying early in the pandemic. According to Food Dive, Eat This Not That shares that the early pandemic expressed a spike in yeast sales with 258 percent.
Beans
Seed is loaded into a grain drill for planting soybeans on April 23, 2020 in Dwight, Illinois. Mild, dry weather has farmers in the state scrambling to get their fields planted.
This staple meal was also affected by the pandemic. According to Biz New Orleans, the culprit for the shortage of beans in 2020 is the poor fall harvest and the high demand during the pandemic since the beans can be stored for a long time and can fill the stomach with just a small amount.
Eggs
Volunteer Sebastian Nichols puts cartons of eggs in a vehicle at a drive-thru Three Square Food Bank emergency food distribution site at Palace Station Hotel & Casino in response to an increase in demand amid the coronavirus pandemic on April 16, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Three Square is currently operating 40 emergency distribution sites at various times and dates throughout Southern Nevada to assist a growing number of people, many of them newly unemployed, in need. Nevada's USD 68 billion tourism industry, which usually supports about 450,000 jobs, has been hit especially hard by the spread of COVID-19. The World Health Organization declared the coronavirus (COVID-19) a pandemic on March 11th.
National Geographic notes that eggs were also affected by the pandemic. National Geographic says that both the supply and demand for eggs are high during the pandemic. However, the shortage occurs when there is a challenge in the logistics of transferring the products.
They said that production has increased to meet the demands on the market. These products were on a temporary food shortage in 2020 but will now have complete attendance on your local grocery shelves. With the vaccines rolling, panic buying and hoarding will likely not occur again.
Related article: Sudan food shortage worsens, citizens left eating plant seeds
WATCH: How the Pandemic affects the Food Supply from PBS NewsHour
