Numerous U.S.-based food distributors are “reporting difficulties in fulfilling orders as a lack of workers weighs on the supply chain,” new reports reveal.
Distribution giant Sysco, one of North America’s largest wholesale food distributors, is now having to turn away customers in some areas where demand exceeds capacity, resulting in empty shelves and growing panic.
Inflation is only exacerbating the problem as it drives up prices for key goods such as pork, chicken and paper products for takeout packaging. There is also slowing production for high-demand, labor-intensive meat cuts like bacon, ribs, wings, and tenders.
You might even call it a perfect storm that threatens to trigger hyperinflation among many staple products that people rely on to survive in modern society.
“There are certain areas across the country that are more challenged by the labor shortage and our volume of orders is regularly exceeding our capacity,” announced Sysco Chief Executive Officer Kevin Hourican in a letter to clients earlier this month.
“This has, unfortunately, led to service disruptions for some of our customers.”
Retailers hedge supplies by hoarding ahead of holiday season
Data from the analysis group DecaData, which tracks retailer transactions with shoppers and manufacturers, shows that some stores are stockpiling goods ahead of the holiday season in an attempt to hedge their supplies.
Between January and July, the rate of suppliers having to limit or put a cap on customer orders has more than doubled, suggesting that there are now major difficulties getting products into stores.
United Natural Foods (UNF), another major distributor, is similarly having trouble getting food into grocery stores. Labor shortages are one factor, as are delays in getting some imported goods like cheese, coconut water and spices into the supply line.
“We anticipate additional supplier challenges in the short term with gradual improvement through the fall and winter,” a representative from UNF is quoted as saying.
UNF says its top priority is to support customers “by working diligently to recover and bring their shelves back to normal inventory levels as quickly as possible.”
North Americans can expect higher food prices moving forward
This double whammy of not enough labor and blockaded supply chains means that shortages of key perishables will continue, as will higher prices on some food items that get caught in the fray.
None of this would be happening had governments never shut down the global economy in response to the Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19), but now the damage has already been done. It will remain an uphill battle trying to get things back to normal.
Sysco, based out of Houston, is desperately trying to hire as many people as possible, including by offering referral and sign-on bonuses, along with retention money. Some are taking the bait but apparently not enough to really get things going.
Benjamin Walker, senior vice president of sales, marketing and merchandise at Baldor Specialty Foods, says his company is seeing “massive labor shortages” as well.
“Service levels are the lowest I’ve seen in my 16-year career, and it doesn’t seem like it’s going away anytime soon,” he is quoted as saying, noting that finding new truck drivers is “next to impossible” as freight costs rise daily.
Consequently, the company’s orders are arriving late and facing delays getting to customers. On-time deliveries on the outbound side are still above 50 percent, but have fallen from the usual rate of more than 90 percent.
“We all thought it would be over by now,” Walker says. “It’s just one thing after another. This is going to be the norm for a while.”
To keep up with the latest news about the government’s destruction of the global economy using the Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) as an excuse, visit Collapse.news.
Sources for this article include:
The Dangers of Speaking the Truth Diminish If We Work Together
It’s becoming harder and harder for patriots to ignore the deep suppression of truth that’s happening in America today.
In all of my years in journalism, I have never received as many threats or been attacked by big companies like Google and Facebook as I have in 2021. I’d say that ever since we started covering widespread voter fraud, government-endorsed Pandemic Panic Theater, vaccine cover-ups, Critical Race Theory, and the various Neo-Marxist and Satanic agendas at play, I’ve been targeted more in months than the entirety of my life prior.
Speaking the truth is getting harder with so much censorship and suppression rampant. Prior to 2020, I was not a “conspiracy theorist” or an “anti-vaxxer,” but if there’s one thing the onslaught of exposed lies have taught us in the last 18 months, it’s that we cannot take what we’re told by the “arbiters of truth” at face value. There’s an agenda behind every message, a narrative driving every story, and a series of gigantic cover-ups designed to keep the masses in the dark.
This is why we’re building a network of news outlets that are willing to go against the narrative and expose the truth. We need help. We’re establishing strong partnerships with like-minded news outlets and courageous journalists. Even as Big Tech suppresses us, the honest messages they’re trying to quash are finding their way to the eyes and ears of patriots across the nation. With the help of new content partners like The Epoch Times and The Liberty Daily, we’re starting to see a real impact.
Our network is currently comprised of nine sites:
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Some of our content is spread across all of these sites. Other pieces of content are unique. We write most of what we post but we also draw from those willing to allow us to share their quality articles, videos, and podcasts. We collect the best content from fellow conservative sites that give us permission to republish them. We’re not ego-driven; I’d much rather post a properly attributed story written by experts like Dr. Joseph Mercola or Natural News than rewrite it like so many outlets like to do. We’re not here to take credit. We’re here to spread the truth.
I’ve said much of this before. From time to time I reframe this request for assistance by taking the most relevant message of the day and adjusting the story accordingly. We’ve discussed this network in previous articles. Now, it’s time to talk about help. First and foremost, we need financial assistance detailed below. But we could also use more writers who are willing to volunteer their thoughts for the sake of spreading the message. Those who are interested should contact me directly.
As far as money, we’re looking better than we have in the recent past, but we are currently experiencing a gap between revenue and expenses that cannot be overcome by click-ads and MyPillow promos alone (promo code “NOQ” by the way).
To overcome our revenue gap and keep these sites running, our needs fluctuate between $2200-$7800 per month. May, 2021, for example, was amazing and we almost broke even. June, revenue was sluggish at best and we had to make up a big difference out of our pockets. But we’re not just trying to get out of the red. If and when we start getting enough contributions to expand, we will do just that. Very few get into journalism to try to get rich and we’re definitely not among those who do. Our success is driven by spreading the truth, profitable or not.
The best way you can help us grow and continue to bring proper news and opinions to the people is by donating. We appreciate everything, whether a dollar or $10,000. Anything brings us closer to a point of stability when we can hire writers, editors, and support staff to make the America First message louder. Our Giving Fuel page makes it easy to donate one-time or monthly. Alternatively, you can donate through PayPal or Bitcoin as well. Bitcoin: 3A1ELVhGgrwrypwTJhPwnaTVGmuqyQrMB8
Time is short. As the world spirals towards radical progressivism, the need for truthful journalism has never been greater. But in these times, we need as many conservative media voices as possible. Please help keep NOQ Report and the other sites in the network going. Our promise is this: We will never sell out America. If that means we’re going to struggle for a while or even indefinitely, so be it. Integrity first. Truth first. America first.
Thank you and God Bless,
JD Rucker
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We Often Feel Like David Taking on Giants
Today’s Goliath is the Mainstream Media Industrial Complex that brainwashes the masses.
Our mission is very straightforward: To counter the false narratives and nefarious agendas destroying America today. It isn’t easy for obvious reasons; despite incredible growth over the last year we are still a very tiny fish in a huge media pond. But we’re fighting and we will continue to do so, Lord willing, for as long as we possibly can. The battle for America’s present and future is too important for us to back down to the giants that stand in our way.
We need help. I don’t want to say “desperately,” but the need is definitely great. If you have the means, please donate through our GivingFuel page, PayPal, or our Substack page. Your generosity is what keeps these sites running and allows us to get the truth to the masses. We’ve had great success in growing but we know we can do more with your assistance.
Thank you, and God Bless!
JD Rucker
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