'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
Two killed after collision with truck on Hwy. 417 near Limoges, Ont.
Ontario Provincial Police say two people were killed after a car and a transport truck collided in the westbound lanes of Highway 417 near Limoges, Ont. on Tuesday afternoon.
Houston braces for flooding to worsen in wake of storms
High waters flooded neighborhoods around Houston on Saturday following heavy rains that have already resulted in crews rescuing hundreds of people from homes, rooftops and roads engulfed in murky water.
Canadian doctor concerned new weight-loss drug Wegovy may be used inappropriately
As Wegovy becomes available to Canadians starting Monday, a medical expert is cautioning patients wanting to use the drug to lose weight that no medication is a ''magic bullet,' and the new medication is meant particularly for people who meet certain criteria related to obesity and weight.
Police officer hit by driver of fleeing vehicle in Toronto
York Regional Police say they are continuing to search for a suspect in an auto theft investigation who was captured on video running over a police officer in Toronto last month.
‘We made them safer and more fun’: Here’s what’s new about e-scooters
Electric scooters (e-scooters) have been gaining popularity in the capital and this season comes with some changes and updates.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
Canadian Auger-Aliassime reaches first Masters final in Madrid with another walkover
Montreal's Felix Auger-Aliassime has advanced to his first ATP Masters final, and he hasn't had to play all that much tennis to do it.
Quebec man who threatened Trudeau, Legault online sentenced to 20 months in jail
A Quebec man who pleaded guilty to threatening Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier François Legault has been sentenced to 20 months in jail.