News / Society

Experts sound alarm for food shortage in US

Tuesday, 28 April 2020 1:51 PM [ Last Update: Tuesday, 28 April 2020 1:51 PM ]

This image shows meat packages and plant-based substitutes for meat for sale at a groceries shop. (Photo by AFP)

US meat producer warns "food supply chain is breaking" due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to multiple news outlets.

Multiple news outlets cited Tyson Foods as saying ‘there will be limited supply of products’ until it can open plants forced to close amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The major US meat processing company warned “the food supply chain is breaking” amid the coronavirus crisis.

The company warned on Sunday that “there will be limited supply of products” until it can reopen closed facilities.

"[M]illions of pounds of meat will disappear from the supply chain,” John Tyson, Tyson’s board chairman, wrote.

Tyson has closed or reduced production at several facilities throughout the US after several workers tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

The Arkansas-based company along with other major meat producers in the US, like JBS USA and Smithfield Foods, have come under fire for failing to provide adequate safety and protective gear for their workers.

According to the United Food and Commercial Workers International Unions more than a dozen workers at meatpacking and food processing plants have died so far, while at least 5,000 meatpacking workers and 1,500 food processing workers have been directly affected by the disease.

In related news, New York Governor, Andrew Cuomo, urged dairy farmers to give their milk to food banks supporting needy families and stop milk dumping.

“This is just a total waste to me,” he said at his coronavirus briefing Monday. “We have people downstate who need food and farmers upstate who can’t sell their product.”

Cuomo, who is a pro-active critic of billionaire US President Donald Trump, urged philanthropies to help farmers and poor families struggling during the crisis.

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Cuomo said the COVID-19 crisis, which has put many people out of work, has had an increased demand on food banks across the state.

Many dairy farmers have had to dump their milk because the coronavirus outbreak shut down places that used it, such as schools and restaurants.

Meanwhile, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has come under fire for letting huge amounts of food supply in the US rot while the country’s food banks face shortage and become increasingly depleted.

Experts have warned it could be a matter of weeks before consumers see food shortages at grocery stores, as well.

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