Trends
COVID-19 exposed just how fragile the US food supply chain is
Why so much food got wasted during COVID-19
COVID-19 magnified existing flaws in the US food supply chain and caused a great deal of disruption. Consumers sought out more reliable food sources resulting in smaller farms seeing higher demand. The food suppliers that took swift action and applied creativity in the face of the unknown were the most resilient and successful.
Demand for large-scale food orders plummeted
Health risks for farmworkers
Meatpacking plants couldn't keep up with demand
Truckers had difficulty delivering
Farms moved online and direct-to-consumer
Farms expanded support to their community
The effects of shelter-in-place and panic shopping
As noted in the first article in this series, COVID-19 changed consumer buying habits. Restaurants shuttered due to government regulations, and as shelter-in-place mandates went into effect across most states, people started cooking at home more.
Grocery stores were overwhelmed with demand. Empty store shelves and constant media coverage exemplified consumers' worries about a secure food supply chain. Surges in shopping put enormous pressure downstream on food purveyors to ramp up efforts. At the same time, food manufacturers, meatpacking plants, farms, and trucking lines had less staff due to virus infestations and the need to adjust operations for better social distancing. Grocery stores reacted by placing limits on how much meat, milk, eggs, toilet paper, and other staples consumers could buy at one time (and these continue to be in effect in some places.)
As noted in the first article in this series, COVID-19 changed consumer buying habits. Restaurants shuttered due to government regulations, and as shelter-in-place mandates went into effect across most states, people started cooking at home more.
Grocery stores were overwhelmed with demand. Empty store shelves and constant media coverage exemplified consumers' worries about a secure food supply chain. Surges in shopping put enormous pressure downstream on food purveyors to ramp up efforts. At the same time, food manufacturers, meatpacking plants, farms, and trucking lines had less staff due to virus infestations and the need to adjust operations for better social distancing. Grocery stores reacted by placing limits on how much meat, milk, eggs, toilet paper, and other staples consumers could buy at one time (and these continue to be in effect in some places.)
The day the restaurants closed
With few exceptions, both farmers and restaurants operate on very thin margins. Pre-pandemic, America's restaurant industry had supply and demand down to a science, using data from previous months and years to make a more-than-educated guess of how much food to order. Downstream, farmers had somewhat accurate predictions of how much food they could supply. Even farms with laissez-faire relationships with chefs, where it would be the norm to substitute something new or have a different type of basil this year, still operated from a place of knowing what volume they would be selling.
When governments mandated the closure of indoor dining, many restaurants completely shut their doors. Large-scale food operations like school cafeterias, caterers, sports food vendors, etc. also shut down. Restaurants that stayed open dramatically reduced their volume. The overnight, industry-wide closure of the hospitality industry decimated the usual supply and demand forecasts and food orders from farms and manufacturers.
In general, this left a lot of food sitting in warehouses or on the farm. But certain categories of farms were especially hard. For example, farms that usually sold bulk products, like 10 lb bags of cheese or cases of pre-sliced tomatoes for sandwiches, were left with tons of food in a format that no one wanted. Farms that sold specialty items (like heirloom produce or those ingredients on menus that you can't pronounce) were unable to offload their produce. Few consumers know what to do with "scapes" on an average day, much less had use for them during the first few weeks of a pandemic when they can't even get milk. Chef Dan Barber of Blue Hill at Stone Barns and his team surveyed small farmers in the Northeast and estimated that at least 30% of them were on the brink of bankruptcy due to COVID-19.
With no one to buy their food, farmers had to get creative to survive. In many ways, it was easier and faster for smaller farms to make changes than larger farms simply because there was less bureaucracy and employees involved.
Many started or expanded their online presence, CSA offerings (community-supported agriculture boxes of food) and personally-delivered food. For example, Whoa Nellie Dairy took matters into their own hands when the dairy that typically processed and sold their excess milk informed them they could not do so because of COVID-19. Whoa Nellie posted on Facebook that they would be selling the milk themselves onsite, and their small team worked around the clock to milk cows and ensure none of their milk would get wasted. Box Greens, a vertical farm in Miami, took action early, as soon as the local restaurants went dark; they set up an online shop to sell their lettuce via contactless delivery. They also added a salad dressing to their repertoire to make a delivery service of lettuce more attractive and partnered with local cafes and non-profits to expand their brand presence during COVID-19. Other farms started canning, freezing, drying, and fermenting excess produce to extend shelf life and sell via other avenues.
When governments mandated the closure of indoor dining, many restaurants completely shut their doors. Large-scale food operations like school cafeterias, caterers, sports food vendors, etc. also shut down. Restaurants that stayed open dramatically reduced their volume. The overnight, industry-wide closure of the hospitality industry decimated the usual supply and demand forecasts and food orders from farms and manufacturers.
In general, this left a lot of food sitting in warehouses or on the farm. But certain categories of farms were especially hard. For example, farms that usually sold bulk products, like 10 lb bags of cheese or cases of pre-sliced tomatoes for sandwiches, were left with tons of food in a format that no one wanted. Farms that sold specialty items (like heirloom produce or those ingredients on menus that you can't pronounce) were unable to offload their produce. Few consumers know what to do with "scapes" on an average day, much less had use for them during the first few weeks of a pandemic when they can't even get milk. Chef Dan Barber of Blue Hill at Stone Barns and his team surveyed small farmers in the Northeast and estimated that at least 30% of them were on the brink of bankruptcy due to COVID-19.
With no one to buy their food, farmers had to get creative to survive. In many ways, it was easier and faster for smaller farms to make changes than larger farms simply because there was less bureaucracy and employees involved.
Many started or expanded their online presence, CSA offerings (community-supported agriculture boxes of food) and personally-delivered food. For example, Whoa Nellie Dairy took matters into their own hands when the dairy that typically processed and sold their excess milk informed them they could not do so because of COVID-19. Whoa Nellie posted on Facebook that they would be selling the milk themselves onsite, and their small team worked around the clock to milk cows and ensure none of their milk would get wasted. Box Greens, a vertical farm in Miami, took action early, as soon as the local restaurants went dark; they set up an online shop to sell their lettuce via contactless delivery. They also added a salad dressing to their repertoire to make a delivery service of lettuce more attractive and partnered with local cafes and non-profits to expand their brand presence during COVID-19. Other farms started canning, freezing, drying, and fermenting excess produce to extend shelf life and sell via other avenues.
Less than half of migrant farmworkers do not have healthcare or the means to return home to recover if they got infected.
Farmworkers at high-risk
But before the food can be delivered, canned, or sold, it had to be cultivated. COVID-19 hit the farm microcosm in a multitude of ways. Everyone reading this is probably familiar with the heartbreaking photos of farmers plowing under their fields and dumping milk. At the same time, miles of cars lined up at food banks across the nation. There was a myriad of reasons for this disconnect beyond the lack of demand from the hospitality sector.
Farms are complex companies and rely on slews of (healthy) people doing seasonal-specific jobs. The threat of contracting COVID-19 loomed over all businesses where people interacted with each other, and farmworkers were no exception.
Most large-scale farming in the US is located in rural areas, which were, for the most part, spared from infections, at the beginning of the pandemic. But as COVID-19 raged, there was a shortage in labor exacerbated by the US borders closing down. Many seasonal farmworkers are migrants. In early March, the harvest season was not in full swing, so many of them simply weren't in the US yet and were worried about coming. The Trump administration had enough foresight to understand that by closing the borders, they put the nation's food industry at risk. Hence, they allowed migrant workers to be still eligible for H-2 visas.
And in some cases, obtaining an H-2 could be expedited without the usual in-person interview. But uncertainty loomed around the ability to get back home after harvest season during a pandemic. In an industry that is already short on help, COVID-19 led to an even more significant shortage of workers.
If farmworkers decided to get a visa, several factors inherent to the job made them more at risk of contracting COVID-19. To reach their destination, employers bussed them across the border where they share a room and transportation to work with many people. At the beginning of the pandemic, there was a shortage of PPE (and disagreement over its effectiveness). To make things worse, many farmworkers have respiratory illnesses due to on-the-job exposure to pesticides and other chemicals. Less than half do not have healthcare or the means to return home to recover if they got infected. Hence COVID-19 was an imminent threat for many high-risk migrant workers who chose to cross the border and the rural communities where they live.
But before the food can be delivered, canned, or sold, it had to be cultivated. COVID-19 hit the farm microcosm in a multitude of ways. Everyone reading this is probably familiar with the heartbreaking photos of farmers plowing under their fields and dumping milk. At the same time, miles of cars lined up at food banks across the nation. There was a myriad of reasons for this disconnect beyond the lack of demand from the hospitality sector.
Farms are complex companies and rely on slews of (healthy) people doing seasonal-specific jobs. The threat of contracting COVID-19 loomed over all businesses where people interacted with each other, and farmworkers were no exception.
Most large-scale farming in the US is located in rural areas, which were, for the most part, spared from infections, at the beginning of the pandemic. But as COVID-19 raged, there was a shortage in labor exacerbated by the US borders closing down. Many seasonal farmworkers are migrants. In early March, the harvest season was not in full swing, so many of them simply weren't in the US yet and were worried about coming. The Trump administration had enough foresight to understand that by closing the borders, they put the nation's food industry at risk. Hence, they allowed migrant workers to be still eligible for H-2 visas.
And in some cases, obtaining an H-2 could be expedited without the usual in-person interview. But uncertainty loomed around the ability to get back home after harvest season during a pandemic. In an industry that is already short on help, COVID-19 led to an even more significant shortage of workers.
If farmworkers decided to get a visa, several factors inherent to the job made them more at risk of contracting COVID-19. To reach their destination, employers bussed them across the border where they share a room and transportation to work with many people. At the beginning of the pandemic, there was a shortage of PPE (and disagreement over its effectiveness). To make things worse, many farmworkers have respiratory illnesses due to on-the-job exposure to pesticides and other chemicals. Less than half do not have healthcare or the means to return home to recover if they got infected. Hence COVID-19 was an imminent threat for many high-risk migrant workers who chose to cross the border and the rural communities where they live.
Efficient meat is not resilient meat
A similar food crisis unfolded in the meat industry as fear of the virus spread at meatpacking plants. Large-scale meatpacking facilities have efficiency down to a science and traditionally utilize every possible inch and minute. This translates to very close working quarters that were nearly impossible to quickly change in a large-scale factory. While President Trump deemed them essential employees, distributing PPE to these workers was not top of the list. Many plants closed down or reduced the number of animals they could process in order to institute better safety protocols and lessen the viral spread.
Closures and a reduced number of employees resulted in fewer animals sent to slaughter by farmers, which was problematic for farmers who have efficiency down to a science. Typically in the US, farmers fatten pigs and chickens to a desired specific weight. There is no wiggle room on timing for slaughter--the animals must be killed before they get any bigger, otherwise, they can't be sold. Cattle, on the other hand, can keep growing for a little while (but most farmers harvest them before 30 months due to USDA guidelines). Hence farmers found it was necessary to cull chickens and pigs when they weren't able to be slaughtered.
Once food was packaged up and ready to be delivered, truckers had a hard time completing their routes. Many were afraid to cross the US border for fear that they wouldn't be able to get back in. Others worried about delivering in virus hotspots or had issues delivering to other cities if they had just traveled through a virus hotspot. Inconveniently, most rest stops were closed and they often had to beg and plead to use the restrooms at places where they were dropping off shipments.
A similar food crisis unfolded in the meat industry as fear of the virus spread at meatpacking plants. Large-scale meatpacking facilities have efficiency down to a science and traditionally utilize every possible inch and minute. This translates to very close working quarters that were nearly impossible to quickly change in a large-scale factory. While President Trump deemed them essential employees, distributing PPE to these workers was not top of the list. Many plants closed down or reduced the number of animals they could process in order to institute better safety protocols and lessen the viral spread.
Closures and a reduced number of employees resulted in fewer animals sent to slaughter by farmers, which was problematic for farmers who have efficiency down to a science. Typically in the US, farmers fatten pigs and chickens to a desired specific weight. There is no wiggle room on timing for slaughter--the animals must be killed before they get any bigger, otherwise, they can't be sold. Cattle, on the other hand, can keep growing for a little while (but most farmers harvest them before 30 months due to USDA guidelines). Hence farmers found it was necessary to cull chickens and pigs when they weren't able to be slaughtered.
Once food was packaged up and ready to be delivered, truckers had a hard time completing their routes. Many were afraid to cross the US border for fear that they wouldn't be able to get back in. Others worried about delivering in virus hotspots or had issues delivering to other cities if they had just traveled through a virus hotspot. Inconveniently, most rest stops were closed and they often had to beg and plead to use the restrooms at places where they were dropping off shipments.
Direct-to-consumer solutions
Within a very short amount of time, farmers had to find creative solutions that allowed them to either sink or swim. Many consumers went straight to the farm itself for a more reliable, clean and stable source of groceries. America's farmers managed to keep the food supply chain intact despite the major issues caused by COVID-19:
- Farms opened or expanded on-premise sales, started delivering, and maximized their customer base with creativity. For example, Box Greens added a new product, daikon shoots, and texted customers about specials and availability via their "Lettuce Lovers Hotline".
- Vertical farms especially had an advantage during these times because they could quickly grow the most popular items, and many continue to sell out every week.
- Farms expanded or kickstarted CSA programs too. Some collaborated with other types of farmers to offer food beyond produce like eggs, cheese, milk, and honey. Others partnered with restaurants or grocers to put together make-at-home meal kits.
- Farms moved online and offered delivery. The site farmsthataredelivering.com sprung up as a much-needed database.
- Farms that could, supported their local community with donations. Urban Greens handed out food grown in their vertical farms to underprivileged families and street kids. Square Roots donated produce to local partners who were redistributing food to needy families. Some added the option to help a neighbor in need with monetary or food donations during checkout.
- Farms pivoted to provide online education about growing food and farm animals. Sweet Farm, an animal sanctuary who usually gives onsite educational tours, added "Goat-to-meeting" to their repertoire, bringing farm animals to the zoom craze. Urban Greens created a hydroponic starter kit and taught virtual gardening workshops online.
COVID-19 hit every part of the food supply chain in the US in a different way. For some, it propelled business forward; for others, it negatively impacted employees, customers, and food security. The pandemic was a major wakeup call for producers along the food supply chain in every sector and forced people to be creative and nimble to survive.
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