Can’t find what you need at the store again? You’re not alone.
As the world reaches the two-year mark of the COVID-19 …
Can’t find what you need at the store again? You’re not alone. As the world reaches the two-year mark of the COVID-19 pandemic, more items are becoming scarce because of a supply chain shortage across the globe. Supply chain concerns are due to “record-level congestion at the Port of Los Angeles/Long Beach that has spread to the East Coast, the widespread power outages across China, shortages of truck drivers and service workers, and COVID-19-fueled infections and restrictions,” Tinglong Dai, a business professor at Johns Hopkins University, told USA TODAY in an email. Shipping prices have skyrocketed, and the demand for items has outpaced the suppliers. Before making a grocery list, here is a list of items you might not find: This frozen treat is usually the perfect dessert, but in an email on Sept.14, Ben & Jerry’s parent company Unilever cited labor shortages as the reason for reducing the amount of flavors produced. The company said it will focus on producing its most popular flavors. Phish Food lovers, you have nothing to worry about. Fertilizer plants, which lead to the production of carbon dioxide, had to reduce their output due to rising costs, causing shortages in food and other products, Per Hong, senior partner at consulting firm Kearney, said to CNBC. “We almost certainly will be faced with a global shortage of CO2 that is used widely. CO2 is used extensively in the food value chain from inside packaged food to keep it fresher longer, for dry ice to keep frozen food cold during delivery, to giving carbonated beverages their bubbles,” he said.
