A perishable item like milk highlights the issue between foodservice and retail needs. There is a glut of milk but the producers don’t have enough packing capacity for the retail market. So milk that could be sold in retail is being literally poured down the drain because there isn’t sufficient production scale to keep up with retail demand.
From the Publishers:
We at Fork Pitch have been in the process of launching a new kind of site, a hybrid of a special interest website and ecommerce site. The unifying theme of Gourmand on Demand was to be the best in ingredients, with education and information on their use and help in sourcing them. Like many business plans, this one has been disrupted by the Corona virus. Compared to many, this is a minor setback but it disrupted our logistics as we set up our ‘store.’ But rather than just wait, we have decided to tackle some of the issues that COVID is causing to the supply chains that we work with. Information on the food supply chain is fragmented. We have substantial experience in food production, distribution, marketing and have been involved with the consumer interface from both and retail and restaurant perspective. Our contributors and editors will be reviewing news and stories and creating content of our own.
We will communicate through the use of social media platforms to widen the reach of these stories. We welcome feedback, will add a comments section soon and are open to outside contributions. We will also be adding videos and podcasts. Some of the high quality items like shrimp, duck eggs and Wagyu beef will be available soon with others following. We hope you enjoy Gourmand on Demand and, like everyone, we look forward to better and more normal days ahead.
As COVID spreads to more rural areas I am afraid this will become are frequent story
In March, the spread of Coronavirus and Social Distancing led to a warping of grocery shopping patterns. Early on, many people stocked up, some hoarded, and Public Health experts recommended reduction in the number of trips to the store. At the beginning of the month, the stores were full and the shelves were empty. Now the shelves are full, (with a few exceptions; yeast? it’s a nation of bakers now??) the stores, while not exactly empty, are mostly able to accommodate social distancing without too much of a wait.
For Foodservice the asymmetries have been by segment more than by public reaction. Almost everywhere schools and colleges closed and will likely remain closed until the fall. The food operations at these as well as most business and industry cafeterias has come to a complete halt. Fast food restaurants are not quite thriving but are steady in their carryout and delivery sales; some dine-in restaurants have adapted their business to all off site meals, but many have not. Indications are that most high end restaurants are struggling; bars and taverns are generally closed.
While we hope quarantining and distancing slow and stop the spread of the flu and that interactions become more fluid and general soon, there is no doubt that there will be significant permanent effect throughout both these channels. As we manage through the public health issues, there are also some other challenges and dangers to the food supply chain above beyond closures and temporary surge in consumer demand. Below are some considerations. While these may sound especially pessimistic, risk management should be done with an eye to worst case scenarios. These are based upon no new vaccine or prophylactic being available and the virus becoming endemic in the population:
Again, the purpose here is not to paint doomsday scenarios but rather describe some of the potential risks to the food supply chain. The food industry has already been altered by the effects of both the virus and the disruption in the economy. Short of a miracle, a return to ‘normal’ is likely months off.
A fascinating article describing how local availability shapes cuisine. In this case it is the cuisine described as Tex-Mex which, in my ignorance, I thought was a fusion cuisine developed over the last couple of hundred years. Instead, these flavors, techniques and dishes were developed by the indigenous populations of the area. In actuality, the basis is Native American.
Berglind Labs 