'It puts the grocery stores at risk': Fresh produce may become scarce due to supply chain issues
Manitobans may see fewer options for fresh fruits and vegetables – and possibly higher price tags for them – in the weeks ahead.
“We’re being told there’s going to be an issue with produce, fruits and vegetables,” said Munther Zeid, owner and manager of Food Fare, a Winnipeg-based independent grocer.
Right now, Zeid said plenty of produce is still in supply, though that could soon change as inventory shipments are experiencing delays.
“There’s a lot of it sitting on the docks in Vancouver,” he said, “It’s been a few days already so it could be bad by the time shipping starts.”
Food Fare isn’t the only grocery store to experience supply chain-related shipment issues.
“Omicron is basically ripping through the entire food supply chain right across the country, right across North America,” said Gary Sands, vice president of public policy and advocacy for the Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers.
Produce inventory is becoming particularly scarce because, amid the winter months, fresh fruits and vegetables are largely coming in from international suppliers, said Sands, and delivery times are getting longer.
Sands said the new vaccine mandate for truckers, which is taking some vehicles off the road, is a contributing factor.
“Certain products, oranges, bananas, fresh fruits and vegetables. We’re definitely not getting those in the quantities or in the timeframes we would expect under normal conditions.”
Truck transport is one of the primary ways produce – and many other products – arrive in the province, according to the Supply Chain Management Association.
With that in mind, rising fuel costs could also mean what fresh fruits and vegetables are available in stores could become more expensive.
“If we see fuel costs continue to stay where they are, or up even further, then yes that becomes part of the total cost of getting those products to the shelves here in Manitoba,” said Richard Reid, executive director of the Manitoba branch of the Supply Chain Management Association.
Hiking up prices, however, isn’t a foolproof plan for grocers, said Reid, as customers may turn away from a higher price tag.
“It puts the grocery stores at risk because it’s a cost to them and if all of a sudden people aren’t buying their products, and they’re having to toss them out, then financially they’re going to take a hit,” said Reid.
At Food Fare, Zeid said some produce may increase by 10 to 20 per cent in price.
But he’s asking customers to not panic buy, which could contribute to the problem.
“If we start hoarding we’ll start feeling it and cause issues that don’t need to happen or prices to go up that don’t need to,” he said.
“It’s supply and demand.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A step forward': New screening criteria for sperm donors takes effect
Canadians looking to grow their families with the assistance of sperm or egg donations should soon have more options for donors as the federal health agency does away with longstanding restrictions criticized as discriminatory.
Ontario Provincial Police arrest 64 suspects in child sexual exploitation investigation
Ontario Provincial Police say 64 suspects are facing a combined 348 charges in connection with a series of child sexual exploitation investigations that spanned the province.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his head more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.
What is whooping cough and should Canadians be concerned as Europe declares outbreak?
There is currently a whooping cough epidemic in Europe, with 10 times as many cases compared to the previous two years. While an outbreak has not been declared nationwide in Canada, whooping cough is regularly detected in the country.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Case against ex-Mountie charged with helping China can go ahead in Quebec, judge says
A Quebec court judge has ruled that the case against a former RCMP officer charged with helping China conduct foreign interference can go ahead in the province.
Steve Albini, legendary producer for Nirvana, the Pixies and an alternative rock pioneer, dies at 61
Steve Albini, an alternative rock pioneer and legendary producer who shaped the musical landscape through his work with Nirvana, the Pixies, PJ Harvey and more, has died. He was 61.
Ippei Mizuhara, ex-interpreter for baseball star Shohei Ohtani, will plead guilty in betting case
The former interpreter for Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani has agreed to plead guilty to bank and tax fraud in a sports betting case in which prosecutors allege he stole nearly US$17 million from the Japanese baseball player to pay off debts, federal prosecutors said Wednesday.
Watch fighter jet pilots pummel fake enemy ship off coast of Philippines
The United States and Philippines held annual joint-training drills just off the Southeast Asian nation’s western coast on Wednesday. Military forces sunk a 'mock' enemy warship – the BRP Lake Caliraya, which was a decommissioned tanker made in China.