A question for anybody who cares to answer, are you seeing any food shortages at the moment? Do you tend to believe the scare stories that are circulating?
From my perspective I am seeing the odd shortage, nothing too bad or concerning, the occasional empty shelf. I have noticed there seems to be slightly less actual stock on the shelves across the board.
The coop where I shop speaks of scrambling for substitutes. Prices are definitely higher. Periodic shortages. I notice some nut butters, rice, things with good shelf life.
There are some empty shelves and the prices are hugely higher around here - semi rural - but nothing more in the way of empty shelves than during the past couple years of strangeness. The prices, however, are much higher. A store owner said that he is having trouble getting non-GMO and organic products and, of course, they are much more expensive.
Love the skeleton wheat grains there @Azchuska
My experiences have been about the same as what everyone else has said so far. Products made with organic corn (a.k.a. maize), in particular, have been out of stock more frequently and substantially more expensive â but thatâs a continuing trend that started during the âpandemic.â
I do tend to believe there will be more and more shortages of all kinds over the next year or two at least. My reasons for thinking so (leaving aside the shriek-o-meter, which is probably meant to amplify fear about what is, in this case, a partly real situation): the disruptions to production and supply chains caused by governmentsâ shutting down economies over the scamdemic; further disruptions to the same now being caused in Shanghai over âcovidâ; sanctions on Russia and the conflict in the Ukraine, which will likely cause shortages of some critical inputs to farming and manufacturing (chemicals used in making fertilizer, metals used to make all kinds of things, etc.) as well as food shortages in countries highly dependent on grain exports from Russia or Ukraine; and, finally, the fact that big-money guys have invested in bug food and lab meat, which they clearly want us all to eat (how do you convince people to do that without creating food shortages or making real food too expensive for normal folks to buy?).
I donât believe there will be actual starvation in Western countries. I do think there might be in poorer countries, and thereâs a very good chance food riots and major civil unrest will spread, especially in poorer countries. Have a look at whatâs been going on in Sri Lanka, for example.
Not much shortage here in the UK, Iâm pretty close to all the major London hubs (M25) so maybe it would impact rural areas more. I did hear of the food production and logistics hubs in the US getting hit by a string of âaccidentsâ like plane crashes and fires etc⌠Be interesting to see if any of that creeps across the pond.
