Why the Cupboard Is Bare

Whether you have contracted COVID 19 or have remained healthy since this nasty little bug made it to our shores, it has affected many aspects of your life. We have had to deal with major and minor inconveniences from mask-wearing and social distancing to unemployment and losing loved ones to the disease. But one thing you may not have anticipated was the possibility of not having enough to eat due to societal upheaval.

According to Feeding America, a non-profit conglomerate of food banks, 42 million people may be staring hunger in the face in 2021. Since we are used to thinking of America as the richest and most powerful country in the world, many people may be taken aback by this number. What is the cause? How can this happen?

While volatile weather is wreaking havoc on crops all over the world and causing disastrous conditions for poorer nations, the problems in the US seem, for the most part, to be the consequences of the country's reaction to this new coronavirus and by the effects of the disease itself.

Many businesses were completely shut down or had to reduce the work hours of their employees because of outbreaks or fear of outbreaks. Some were ordered to close by state governments, and many had to lock their doors because people were simply too afraid to leave their homes. This caused shortages in many industries, including some of the largest processors of beef and poultry. Once they reopened, the capacity was restricted, resulting in less product.

Farmers were unable to send out their produce because of restaurant closures and reduced drivers for trucking companies. Without the needed income, many farmers have either walked away from farming or reduced their planned output. Disruptions in the supply of seeds and fertilizers will prove to be troublesome in the coming months, along with a growing reduction in farm laborers. Seeing as only 30% of farm laborers are US citizens, travel restrictions may keep many workers from moving about, which will affect harvests.

Another consideration is the price of food. It has been rising steadily over the last year, and many people who have lost their jobs or seen their hours cut do not have the money to feed themselves or their families. This is a result of a number of factors: the price of oil has risen sharply, which inflates shipping costs. Severe weather fluctuations affect the planting and harvesting of crops, closed borders between countries is likely to lead to rising prices in items like coffee and cacao, and the World Trade Organization has put limits on the country's stockpiles of food, so in the event of shortages there is no backup plan.

Other elements in play are food hoarding, an aluminum shortage (companies will have to develop alternate ways to package their food) and, believe it or not, hobbies have caused some shortages in basic items such as yeast, flour and vegetable seeds. While people were forced to stay at home during the lockdowns, many of them took up baking and gardening. This has literally caused a shortage of yeast, which cannot immediately be restocked, as it is a living microorganism and takes time to grow. It also led to a shortage of flour. People bought up so much of the seed supply to plant gardens ~ either for food or as a hobby ~ that it led to a shortage in seeds.

There are other reasons, some as yet unforeseen, but it is important for people to grasp what is happening in our country. How long this food insufficiency lasts will partially depend on how quickly and effectively COVID 19 is contained and whether there are significant recurrences or mutations, but it could take up to 4 years for the food industry to recover, if it recovers at all.