Huge number of food shortages predicted for 2022 by a variety of experts

Submitted by Dave Hodges on Thursday, December 30, 2021 - 19:39.

by Susan Duclos

Those lockdowns forced school and restaurant closures, which in turn blindsided the farming industry because the demand dried up, so much of their “supply” had to be destroyed. Tens of millions of gallons of milk dumped, crops plowed through because the farmers couldn’t offload it, and ranchers forced to euthanize their own livestock because they couldn’t get it all processed.

With the schools, restaurants, and other business closures that state leaders deemed “non-essential,” we saw unemployment explode, which led to shortages at food banks and free food giveaways.

The point here is the lockdowns caused a trickle down and up effect which inevitably brought about massive food shortages, with empty shelves, limited options, and the rearranging of products by grocery stores to make their shelving “appear” fuller than they were, including front-facing products with nothing behind the front row.

Jump forward to the end of 2021, and we are seeing a number of experts predict what items will continue to see shortages, and the list continues to grow.

PREDICTED SHORTAGES FOR 2022

IN 2022, while issues still stem from the original economy-killing lockdowns of 2020, other factors are adding to the breakdown of the food supply chain;

A lack of truck drivers, labor shortages where companies do not have the manpower to produce, package, and deliver goods, and let us not forget, the labor shortage is also being worsened by the Biden’s regime encouragement of employers to terminate or suspend workers refusing the COVID vaccine, where because it is still experimental, or religious reasons.

The testimonials and dire warnings are confirmed as our own grocers are telling us that they are receiving less than half of what they order from their suppliers, an issue which was addressed in October 2021, by Albertson’s CEO, Vivek Sankaran, who is quoted as stating “I never imagined that we’d be here in October 2021 talking about supply-chain problems, but it’s a reality. Any given day, you’re going to have something missing in our stores, and it’s across categories.”

One of the new predicted shortages are potatoes:

Last year, farmers in the U.S. had to destroy millions of potatoes, as there were no buyers. Now, in 2021, U.S. potato production has slowed. The USDA estimates production will be 2 percent lower year-over-year.

While there are a number of different freeze dried products, including sliced potatoes, potato shreds, mashed/gems, and whole potato products, they are one of the easiest vegetables to grow.

Cut off an eye of your potato, fill a grow bag with soil and bury your eyes, and boom, you can your own crop of potatoes with minimal fuss.

Not all vegetables are easy to grow during the winter months without lights, and space, and considering potatoes are not the only crops that were destroyed in 2020, one might consider a variety of freeze dried fruits and vegetables.

ReadyWise Emergency Food Supply, Freeze Dried Vegetables, 120 Servings, Vegetables

Freeze Dried Fruit

Milk and Dairy:

In late October Bloomberg reported on issues in Denver and other specific areas of milk and dairy products, even showing an image shared on social media of what those shelves looked like at the time, shown above.

In Denver, public-school children are facing shortages of milk. In Chicago, a local market is running short of canned goods and boxed items.

Those images are reminiscent of images ANP readers sent to us from earlier in the year, so the milk and dairy issue is not a short-term problem, but something worsening, and we are warned it will continue well into 2022.

In Denver, broken parts at the milk supplier’s plant affected shipments of half-pint cartons, on top of disruptions at one time or another in cereal, tortillas and juice.

“We’ve been struggling with supply-chain issues with different items since school started,” said Theresa Hafner, the executive director of food services at Denver Public Schools. “It just continues to pop up. It’s like playing whack-a-mole.”

Again the reference to the cereal matches what we have seen in reader images from earlier in the year, with multiple stores in a variety of states shown massive shortages on entire shelves. This is indicative of a longstanding problem, rather than a temporary glitch in the food supply chain.

Not all the shortages are caused by actual lack of product but in some cases, the chain never recovered from the pro-longed lockdowns, so the product simply isn’t making it to the shelves, and there isn’t a “predicted” end in sight, just the media saying “expected to end” with no time frame. This is really a good thing, because every time they tried to claim a timed end to this mess, they were wrong.

It’s a problem that’s not restricted to just the U.S. In October 2021, Sky News reported that U.K. dairy farmers had been forced to dump tens of thousands of liters of milk — with one farmer disposing of 40,000 liters over the course of two months — because the nation faces a driver shortage so severe there just hasn’t been anyone available to pick up the milk. Looking ahead to 2022, even Ireland is facing some serious problems: The Irish Examiner says that the consequences of a 65% drop in applicants looking for jobs in the dairy sector are going to be devastating.

So, stock up on milk and dairy products, and because they are perishable, supplement your stock with freeze dried and powdered.

Hoosier Hill Farm All American Dairy Whole Milk Powder 1 lb

Hoosier Hill Farm Real Butter powder, 1 lb

Sour Cream Powder, Hormone Free, Gluten Free, Made in USA, 1 lb

Freeze Dried Cheeses

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Pork and Bacon:

Prices for pork and bacon are “skyrocketing,” according to Mashed, so while we are still seeing pork and bacon on the shelves, issues are accumulating to the point where they are predicting shortages in 2022.

The Miami Herald says there technically isn’t a shortage in pork and bacon yet, but there are all kinds of things causing all kinds of issues. It’s making prices skyrocket, and it’s leaving things a little more precarious than bacon lovers might want. These problems are hitting from beginning to end: Rising feed prices mean raising pigs is getting more expensive, and while consumer demand is rising, there are still issues in getting the supply chain to run smoothly and get the product onto store shelves.

Interesting how the media generally claims there is no “shortage”, it just isn’t making it to the shelves, which means, the grocers aren’t getting the product, the consumers cannot get certain goods, but hey, it isn’t an actual shortage, right? You just have to pay exorbitant prices, or go without.

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In October it was reported that James Quincey, CEO of Coca-Cola, warned of “sporadic” shortages that are expected on coke products, due to supply chain issues.

Coca Cola Products

Salmon:

Another expected shortages in stores, along with extremely high prices when stores do have it, is Salmon.

It’s also worth mentioning that while this salmon shortage is unfortunate for many people, it’s downright devastating for Alaska’s native peoples. Groups like the Yupiit have relied on salmon for generations — not only is it one of the few reliable food sources for many, but it’s a part of their cultural heritage. When Civil Eats spoke to Serena Fitka, the head of the Yukon River Drainage Fisheries Association, she described how terrifying it’s been: “People came to me and said, ‘I don’t know what to do.'” That was echoed by the Tanana Chiefs Conference tribal resource manager Ben Stevens, who told them, “We have discerned a deeper sense of pain than we have ever seen before. The people are scared to totally different levels.”

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Wild Planet, Wild Pink Salmon, 6 Ounce, Pack of 12

Chicken of the Sea Premium Skinless & Boneless Pink Salmon, 2.5 oz. (Pack of 12)