Everyone is noticing that products are more expensive than ever and also very challenging to find lately. Shoppers are having to check different stores for particular goods, but still, most of the time they’re unable to get what they want. Those who were hoping that the new year would mark a new era of abundance on our supply chains will be disappointed to find out that the various shortages that defined 2022 are not only expected to continue this year, but analysts are also warning that they’re likely to get even worse in the coming months. Conditions at stores will remain chaotic, and food industry experts say "Americans are really going to be hurting in their wallet" in 2023.
The damages done to the system were far greater than anyone could have imagined, and while the health crisis has exacerbated those issues, it also showed holes in the industry’s infrastructure and processes that have been there all along, as explained by Brian Alster, general manager of the North America Finance & Risk. “As we look into a new year, supply chain risks continue to heighten within organizations, particularly those that are most vulnerable to shortages and labor disruptions,” he says.
With a recession expected to aggravate many of the problems companies and consumers are already coping with, in addition to environmental catastrophes and an ongoing fertilizer shortage, the food supply chain is at the highest risk of experiencing persistent disruptions this year. In a recent interview with Fox Business, Tennessee dairy farmer and agricultural activist Stephanie Nash believes that “2023 is going to be rough. Worse than 2022," she says. When asked about the severity of the shortages retailers and consumers will have to deal with this season, Nash answered: "I definitely think we have a food security threat. We're going to have a supply chain shortage, we're going to have an increase in our food prices at the grocery store," she alerted.
Moreover, increasing environmental disasters are also contributing to worsening food shortages all across the nation. Analysts expose that California's devastating drought has led to empty rice fields and a 10 to 15% loss of viable farmland. A poll conducted by the American Farm Bureau Federation found that roughly three-quarters of farmers saw a reduction in harvest yields due to drought in the past 12 months. At the same time, around two-thirds of ranchers and livestock farmers reported selling off animals, with the national herd size down by 36%. Some states like Texas saw herd declines of 50%.
Unfortunately, the doom and gloom don’t stop there. Global shortages of grains, carbon dioxide, wood pulp, and other commodities are going to affect the availability of thousands of products in 2023. Food analysts at Mashed predict that bread, flour, oatmeal, vegetable oil, corn, tomatoes, soft drinks, canned foods, champagne, frozen goods, coffee, paper towels, and toilet paper will all be harder to find from here on. “People may have to shop around or use different brands. The available brands may also hike prices to be able to meet the demand,” they noted.
Problems are actually becoming more widepread as more and more shortages emerge, while manufacturers’ and retailers’ ability to replenish inventories remains compromised. This frustating situation is going to impact the lives of millions of Americans for yet another year. We should all stay alert and prepare for the worst before things start to go downhill once again.
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