Grocery shelves will be sparse for awhile, but panic buying isn’t to blame, experts say

Hoarding is on the decline, and panic buying is diminishing, but grocery store shelves are still looking sparse.

It’s hardly to the point where people are tussling in the aisles over scraps, but certain items are in short supply, and according to experts, it could be that way for a while.

The supply chain, both nationally and internationally, is hindered by the global coronavirus pandemic. There are plenty of new, unprecedented barriers when shipping, trucking, or flying goods from point A to B.

Around the world, dozens of vital trade ports are restricting entry, CNN reported, and airliners have too few passengers to justify flying cargo freight.

All of this creates bottlenecks in the chain, turning the flow of goods into a trickle.

While panic buying hasn’t stopped, it is rapidly declining, according to market research firm IRI, falling by half from mid-to-late March.

But if stores seem picked over it’s not all because of the odd few buying 20 packs of raw chicken. It’s more that the system was unprepared for most restaurants to close, and for millions of Americans to start doing everything --including cooking -- at home, experts say.

Grocery stores, meanwhile, don’t stockpile more than a few weeks worth of groceries on site, the Wall Street Journal reported. They tend to operate lean. It’s more efficient so long as there’s a consistent supply chain -- but it’s a delicate balance upended by COVID-19.

As demand suddenly skyrockets, stores are finding they need to make bigger orders. That’s a challenge for distributors and manufacturers as well as for stores.

“We were all surprised. We did not come into the quarter with elevated levels of inventory in the U.S. or frankly anywhere,” General Mills Inc. Chief Executive Jeff Harmening told the outlet.

Greg Ferrara, president of the National Grocers Association, told PBS that the situation will improve as the industries continue to adjust.

“There’s plenty of food in the pipeline. We’re getting to the shelves quickly. It’s just going off the shelves just as quickly as we get it on there,” Ferrara told the outlet. “We just need time to catch up.”

This story was originally published April 9, 2020 at 7:12 PM with the headline "Grocery shelves will be sparse for awhile, but panic buying isn’t to blame, experts say."