"U.S. Food Supply Chain Is Strained as Virus Spreads"

"Disruptions are expected in the production and distribution of products like pork, and localized shortages could occur."

"The nation’s food supply chain is showing signs of strain, as increasing numbers of workers are falling ill with the coronavirus in meat processing plants, warehouses and grocery stores.

The spread of the virus through the food and grocery industry is expected to cause disruptions in production and distribution of certain products like pork, industry executives, labor unions and analysts have warned in recent days. The issues follow nearly a month of stockpiling of food and other essentials by panicked shoppers that have tested supply networks as never before.

Industry leaders and observers acknowledge the shortages could increase, but they insist it is more of an inconvenience than a major problem. People will have enough to eat; they just may not have the usual variety. The food supply remains robust, they say, with hundreds of millions of pounds of meat in cold storage. There is no evidence that the coronavirus can be transmitted through food or its packaging, according to the Department of Agriculture."

Michael Corkery and David Yaffe-Bellany report for the New York Times April 13, 2020.

SEE ALSO:

"With Restaurants Reeling, Produce Farmers Seek Reason to Harvest" (Bloomberg Environment)

"Food Workers Say C.D.C. Guidelines Put Them at Greater Risk for Infection" (New York Times)

"Coronavirus Could Usher In A New Era Of Local, Sustainable EatingOK" (HuffPost)

"Patrick Holden: The coronavirus pandemic and future food security" (EHN)

"The Coronavirus Reveals The ‘Invisible Inequalities’ In Our Food System" (HuffPost)

"California Lawmakers Push Covid-19 Relief Package for Farmworkers" (Courthouse News Service)

"The Coronavirus Pandemic Could Threaten Global Food Supply, UN Warns" (CNN)