Posted on 05/01/2020 5:40:13 AM PDT by blam
Just days after the CEO of Tyson Foods warned that the “food supply chain is breaking”, the disruptions due to the coronavirus are starting to surface not only in households and grocery stores, but also across corporate America, and even McDonald’s has now said it is changing how it is doling out beef and pork to its restaurants as a result.
The company has placed items like burgers, bacon and sausage on “controlled allocation,” according to Business Insider. Additionally, the company’s distribution centers have been placed on “managed supply”.
This means that the company is now going to be rationing meat supplies based on demand, instead of just ordering what the company thought was necessary. And while it doesn’t yet mean the company is facing shortages, it does suggest that even the largest US fast food restaurant believes further scrutiny of its inventory is warranted as the next may very well be shortages.
Two key McDonald’s suppliers are Smithfield and Tyson – names we have covered extensively (here and here) over the last month as they grapple with the coronavirus causing significant production bottlenecks. More than 5,000 factory workers have contracted the coronavirus, with at least 20 of those dying.
McDonald’s executives said mid-week that major production reductions were expected through “at least” the first half of May. McDonald’s CEO said on Thursday that the company, so far, had not had a supply chain break.
He also admitted, however, the state of the meat industry was “concerning” and that the company was “monitoring it, literally, hour by hour.”
Tyson chairman John Tyson said last weekend: “As pork, beef and chicken plants are being forced to close, even for short periods of time, millions of pounds of meat will disappear from the supply chain. As a result, there will be limited supply of our products available in grocery stores until we are able to reopen our facilities that are currently closed.”
(snip)
Would this be little Billy Gate’s #FrankenFood? No thanks!
Clara, is that you?
This means that the company is now going to be rationing meat supplies based on demand, instead of just ordering what the company thought was necessary.
Shouldn’t they be doing that, anyway???
That statement doesn’t even make sense.
I haven’t stepped foot, or ordered from a McDonalds, in almost 2 decades.
I’m sure the folks who depend on this place for their meals will be saddened to hear this “news”.
The media and those sympathetic to Dems are trying to ruin America, it’s their only hope. Sad.
To a point I agree. I have eaten nothing in or from a restaurant since March 11 and I have lost over 20 lbs.
I thought that had always been their policy.
I’ve cut way back on food consumption too since this started, and not due to any rationing. I just don’t want to emerge from this weighing 350 lbs.
Why would a meat shortage affect McDonald’s?
Trump needs a Subversive Rumor Rapid Response Team.
Quickly get out there to debunk with facts.
It should really be the main job of his Task Force at this point. Lately it’s just been about Dr. Tony undermining the nation’s morale.
We haven’t noticed ANY meat shortages, at our Costco.
Our oldest just did a delivery order and was able to get all of the meats they like to grill/smoke....ribs, chicken, etc.
Our recent delivery order, from Costco, had pork ribs, as well.
But, but - there are people that need 7 guns just to go to Walmart - these people cannot wear a mask for safety - that might protect others and show respect for the people required to work there! Some of the older ones are mad they cannot blow cigarette smoke in your face anymore, so any additional inconvenience is too much to bear. I kid/ but only a little.
Meatpacking is indicative of the perverse incentives globalists and printed Federal Reserve debt have forced on American industry.
- Its highly centralized to squeeze every penny of cost. This is to allow commoditization with ruthless retailers like Walmart, COSTCO, etc… to serve the debt of everyone in the chain.
- Of course, this extreme centralization and monopoly results in “factory food” and causes extreme tail risk and fragility of the supply-chain.
- As we see now, this system exposes American farmers, who never signed up for this risk, to massive risk nonetheless.
- The business can’t be exported, so they instead bring foreign labor to their plants. Every major meat-packing plant is 100% staffed by Somalis, Hondurans or Guatemalans. the poorest of the poor
- Wages are low, so the families of these immigrants live on SNAP, Medicaid and Welfare. Meatpacking labor is a government subsidy to Agri-business.
I can buy meat from local farmers, who process it at local, family-run slaughterhouses. They know each of their customers, and are true artisans. From now one, 100% of my business is going to these people.
Unfortunately, we have been supporting the local restaurants and have put on the pounds.
You know these shortages are about to become real. Its like everyone here says, you can’t shut a third of the economy down and disrupt 50% of food distribution without massively screwing the country up. I was in Kroger yesterday, puny pickins in poultry, pork and beef. I’ve been looking for a turkey for a month! We need to make this a moot point by getting everyone back to work.
There is a bumper stick I see on a car occasionally that reads...
“Cat, the other other white meat.”
No lack of stray cats around most areas.
Someone on here reported that lower priced freezers are sold out and can’t be had
Was me. I looked at all the main stores and even our smaller appliance stores. The expensive ones are still in stock but those will probably be gone soon too.
“Or did the armed men at the Michigan State Capitol escape your notice?”
Let me know when they start shooting.
“the CEO of Tyson Foods warned that the “food supply chain is breaking””
It’s all about elevating the fear factor
The CEO of Tyson Foods still a Clinton toady?
“HEB grocery in TX has begun rationing meat and limiting quantities. Started yesterday.”
Expected. Hard to see how a 25% cut in supply would not result in either rationing or far higher prices, and I suspect the stores are afraid to raise prices, so we might as well get used to our 2 pounds of meat a week.
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