(h/t No9 Coal) This is specifically the #1 precursor, for all the reasons previously mentioned.
Do not be alarmed; be prudent.
What are you seeing in your area?
Feel free to note in the comments section what is happening in your area. Hopefully, most of us are much better positioned than the average person who has not been following this as closely over the past several months.
Initial food instability signs in the supply chain. Things to look for:
(1) A shortage of processed potatoes (frozen specifically).
1.a And/Or a shortage of the ancillary products that are derivatives of, or normally include, potatoes.
(2) A larger than usual footprint of turkey/ham in the supermarket (last lines of protein).
(3) A noticeable increase in the price of citrus products.
(4) A sparse distribution of foodstuffs that rely on flavorings (sports drinks).
(5) The absence of non-seasonal products.
(6) Little to no price difference on the organic comparable (diff supply chain)
(7) Unusual country of origin for fresh product type.
(8) Absence of large container products
(9) Shortage of any ordinary but specific grain derivative item (ex. wheat crackers)
(10) Big brand shortage.
(11) Shortage of wet pet foods
(12) Shortage of complex blended products with multiple ingredients (soups etc)
(13) A consistent shortage of milk products and/or ancillaries.
These notes above are all precursors that show significant stress in the supply chain. Once these issues are consistently visible, we will likely continue toward food instability very quickly, sector by sector, category by category.
The reason I list the shortage of potatoes as the #1 precursor is because every food outlet sells a potato in some form. Every supermarket and every single restaurant (fancy, sit down or fast food) sells some form of potato. Potatoes are demanded by every single food outlet; therefore, a shortage of potatoes is the first noticeable issue.
Links to SHARE (be prudent with whom):
Went to Publix yesterday here in central Virginia. There were no eggs left in the regular section where they always are. I was like, okay, no eggs.
Then, I noticed that the location at the front uf the store where they have cold drinks, milk, juice, etc (in case you forgot something instead of having to go all the way to the back,) had a few cartons of eggs left so I grabbed one.
So, I think we are going from abundance to Soviet Union, Venezuela style bread lines in limited, incrementally timed shortages so we get used to it and dont freak out all at once .
Slow motion will get the Mao communists there faster.
Buy whole egg powder while you can.
Used it a few times many years ago. It was once given out along with block cheese as government surplus.
When was that?
I remember seeing a relative pull one of those big orange blocks of American cheese out of the fridge and saying “this is .gov cheese”.
Made me want to barf, cuz I always hated that Am. Cheese and to see that gigantic block of it- Holy Smoly!
I have been trying to find that exact item, to no avail.
Our area has lots of eggs, so I bought powdered butter and powdered cheese.
In a pinch, I can make most macaroni/cheese type dishes.
You can get local eggs and it would be superior
Powdered milk, and boxed milk (ie Parmalat) can be stored on shelves for months.
So can powdered eggs and cheese and butter.
Can also freeze sticks of margarine.
All of these things are good as ingrediants in cooking, I know people turn their noses up at powdered things but if it comes to doing with out or the powdered stuff I will take powdered.
Agree Chloe. Powdered and canned foods are not my first choice, but I get cranky when I get hungry.
Why wouldn’t we be going to soviet style famine with these Democrat Communists running the show? Joe Stalin is giving away so much money to freeloaders for the foodstamp and welfare allotments. I mean what does he think is gonna happen when you give away productive peoples tax money to unproductive people? Not only that, but foodstamp EBT folks don’t pay sales taxes on food either. You know the game/SCAM is about up when you see amazon doing EBT online sales delivered for free over $25.
Find a neighbor or friend with chickens and buy eggs directly from them. Even in the winter, our 60 chickens still lay 2 dozen eggs daily.
I knew there was a reason I decided massively increase my laying flock this year!
“Incrementally time shortages”.
BRILLIANT!
South central KY: husband and I went to Meijer last night for infant Motrin and a few other things. We were appalled. Bananas were gone completely but everything else looked ok until we went to the bread section. Almost empty. Freezer vegetable section almost empty and no frozen potatoes at all. There was meat but a couple dollars more than what I usually pay. Regular milk was abundant but no heavy cream, a few quarts of half and half and one pint of half and half. Last but not least, still no cream cheese. Oh, and we ended up going to Kroger for the Motrin who also was out of half and half ad heavy cream. :/
North Houston – I went to Aldi on Wednesday morning and it looked well-stocked across the store. Prices up across the board. I was also at HEB this week and shortages are visible everywhere in the store. Specifically, very limited milk products and only a few bags of frozen French fries. Costco has product on the floor where it is easy to access, but lots of empty spaces up above on shelves where the extra product should be.
We are spending tremendously more on groceries for two adults and 3 young kids. I am thankful for the heads up here about Judee’s powdered products on Amazon – I picked up some powdered whole milk there. Also used a delicious recipe from someone here for quick Dutch Oven bread. I have always cooked a lot from scratch, but trying to get better at working with yeast since bread may be harder to get soon.
Thank you! I’d never heard of Judee’s!
I love CTH- the blog and it’s readers are a treasure.
Walmart also carries Judee’s products, including the piwdered whole milk.
Excellent! Really good to know. I appreciate you, Martha!
And for those who need it you can get powdered Lactose free milk on
Amazon.
But using Amazon only hurts the smaller stores. We are fighting against the big box stores I.e the “great reset”. Avoid those or we will surely help them get what they want. Complete control over all aspects of the economy.
I know I shouldn’t ask this, but once it’s powdered and lactose free, what’s left to qualify it as ‘Milk’?
Mama….look into using natural yeast (starter) for bread making. It is easier to work with than dried yeast and requires fewer ingredients. Downside is it takes longer to raise the dough.
Baker Bettie has the best series of 10 short videos on the subject for consistent results. Video 1 is here:
Many people refer to the starter as sourdough starter, which it can be. You have the ability to adjust the tang during the activation of the starter.
As an aside, check out her focaccia recipe (not a starter recipe). It is fantastic and easily modified to add cheese and spices of your liking.
This is so kind of you to pass along… thank you! I will check it out.
I have never mastered baking bread using rapid yeast types. I had to find some other way to create bread!
During the last lockdown I made a beer batter bread. Just used a cheap light colored beer like Lone Star. Tastes great and is super easy to make. Here in the Texas hill country the shelves in my HEB were almost empty of all kinds of pasta, frozen potatoes, sports drinks. The soup aisle wasn’t as well stocked as well as kleenex and toilet paper.
Get a bread machine and use the dough cycle like I do. It’s like a science experiment in a confined space so I measure accurately. It saves my hands from kneading and it will rise perfectly in the machine. I can form the dough as i want and I bake it in the oven. Yummy!
I practically grew up in family owned, independent grocery stores. Worked in the backroom so I wouldn’t scare away the customers. I feel I have insight to offer.
Back in the day grocery stores had significant storage in backroom. Not anymore. Almost everything in the store is on the shelves or on pallets above the shelves. Only exception is refrigerated and frozen foods. Pay attention to how many or how few pallets are on top of the shelves. This is a leading indicator of inventory levels.
Grocery stores focus on STOCKING DEPTH. With freight incoming six or seven days a week, (I used to drive the family owned semitruck hauling about three 48 foot trailer loads each night. 20 -25 tons per load. Venders delivered additional freight in their trucks) stocking depth on almost everything is only two
days. The shelves are arranged with enough width and depth per item for 2 days worth of sales. Pay attention to how many items deep are stocked, especially in the mornings. Watch out for only a few boxes or empty boxes as place holders.
Each major chain or independents have only some of their own infrastructure for warehousing and distribution. Some have more inventory depth and resilience than others. None have more than a week or two of inventory.
The stores that are running out earliest are a leading indicator for all of the stores. Only exceptions will be stores that have long term contracts to lock in a priority on supply, but that isn’t absolute.
The most alarming indicator is the price of fertilizer which has tripled since FJB was sworn in as POTUS. Farmers optimize input levels to maximize profit, not production. Production rises less than linearly with the amount of fertilizer and seed per acre. A shortage of fertilizer combined with a shortage of cash will motivate most farmers to reduce the amount of fertilizer per acre and/or reduce the number of acres planted. The harvest this fall will be much smaller.
FJB and his handlers are building a wall around the White House because they are expecting food riots. The wall is designed to stop at least 5.56 mm rifle and maybe 7.62 mm. .50 BMG WILL turn it into Swiss Cheese.
Good report and heads-up info.
I’m not sure about the concrete barriers though. Seems like they just placed them around the fountain.
Huh? Does the fountain have a statue of Thomas Jefferson they are protecting?
The commodity grain market in Chicago(CBOT,CMEX), i.e., corn, wheat, soybeans are at their highest levels pushing even higher. A fertilizer surely will exacerbate higher proves. Buy Jon Deere stock.
shortage
Heard from a schwan’s driver (deliver frozen food) that birdseye bought all the vegetables this year and that is why they do no have most of their vegetables anymore.
… boy oh boy! Leftists just love, LOVE, this kind of situation! Shortages, riots, social unrest… have to do something about it: EMERGENCY POWERS! Just in time for Nov 22!
I don’t underststand why fertilizer has gone up in price – there’s so much bull$hit being spread by this 4th Reich coup and their minions in the media arm of the Uniparty, I would think it should be free, by now.
Thanks for the chemistry lesson! I had no idea!
Hear ya on the fertilizers.
Transportation costs have effected ours,
pat least that’s what I’m told.
Easy 20% increase on my nitros
Empty grocery shelves will be blamed on hoarders, preppers and the self reliant. 3..2…1
I’ve already been blamed for being a whole bunch of things I never was (homophobic, racist, etc.)
I no longer accept the blame for things caused by other people.
I have enough to do to deal with living out my own consequences.
I will no longer accept the responsibility for the consequences of things done by other people.
I may have to deal with the consequences they bring down on all of us but I will never accept responsibility for those things.
I’m done.
They can project all the blame they want. That says a great deal about them. Says nothing about me.
Too many people care about“likes,”and followers. That brainless herd mentality got us right where we are today.
Dare to be different. It’s extremely satisfying and it may just keep you alive in these turbulent times.
Judith: Like! 🙂
Yes! We are all different! We are all individuals!
A voice pipes up: I’m not!
Life of Brian
You’re a unique individual.
Just like everyone else.
Most excellent writing Sharon, I would add… I’m tired of other people making bad decisions that affect my life, kinda goes with first bullet. I am sad where we are but at peace.
Sharon,
What we need a great deal more of in this country is the gumption to tell people to “GO TO HELL” much more often than we do. I saw a response to someone telling another person to “mask up” that I really liked. Some busybody jerk told an older man he needed to put on a mask. The man said, “Excuse me? Are you talking to me?” The busybody said, yes, she was. The older man then looked directly at her, shouted, “DON’T!!!!”in a very loud voice and proceeded on his way. The busybody jumped back like she was going to be hit, looked like a flustered hen, and went on her way.
I thought the older man handled that perfectly!
“Greedy” suppliers will also be blamed. Brandon spokesholes will say they are cutting back on food shipments just out of spite, even though it reduces their sales volume and profits.
Also, they will blame Trump, Republicans, conservatives, white males and any other disfavored groups with a target already on their backs.
Actually probably “whitesupremacistdomesticterrorists” but that’s the same thing I guess. I could care less what emanates from the Mouth of Sauron.
Also, FJB
M.O.A.B WASHINGTON AND START OVER….
Our closest store is a Walmart. They have always had crappy produce but they usually have enough of it. Safeway usually has decent produce but they are running short on some items but not usually the same items. The bread, milk and egg supply is spotty in either store. Walmart is always out of paper goods and sometimes out of beef. Never seen so many turkeys 3 weeks after Christmas. Tomatoes are in short supply, but tomatoes don’t grow well in the high desert of Colorado.
Sprouts this AM in Central TX
No tater tots in frozen section – do have french fries, hash browns ( my guess is those are big sellers)
Simply Orange, Orange juice -now $5.49 a bottle versus $4.79 a few weeks ago
Organic canned goods on sale at Sprouts
No regular butternut squash, just organic
Lots of small avocados versus larger ones
Crackers are mostly gone except for more expensive – GF ones
Egg prices seem stable but the egg section is not completely filled up
Pre packages /sliced veggies are non existent or on the thin side
Product was pretty stocked, including potatoes
If you all have any BigLots try them as an alternative.
they have a food discount shelf and it varies week to week
Big Lots is fun, like a treasure hunt. Or it was, til now…
In 2020, Idaho potato farmers were piling them up and telling the public to come get as much as they wanted. They didn’t have the customer base due to store and restaurant closures. Potatoes can be stored in cold storage for quite some time. I’m wondering if the potato dumping that started in 2020 has also caused problems, along with actual workers.
#FJB
I purchased a variety of organic potatoes a couple of months ago and I’m letting them “go to seed” – in other words, letting them sprout in a dark closet. I’m going to plant them like my life depended on it for as long as the growing season allows. For those at home, get some organic potatoes, put them in a closet (dark, cool) and let them sprout. You can grow potatoes in a trash can, in a bucket, in a fabric felt bag, as well as in the ground. YouTube is your friend on how to grow, harvest, and store potatoes. Just sayin’.
Yep,
potatoes are just about the easiest thing to grow
I still get random shoots from the ones I planted 5 years ago in
the side yard. Not even in my regular garden. I don’t water or do anything to that space anymore
but the shoots keep coming, which means there’s potatoes down there
Milk running out (multiple checks). NC near Ft. Bragg.
Some produce. Been going on a while.
Juices low (cranberry, grape…). Not Orange juice.
After going to Kroger, Aldi, my butcher and Walgreens Wednesday, the biggest shortage was at Walgreens. the over the counter aisles were 1/3 to 1/2 stocked. It had been like that a couple of weeks ago also. That will be the first non food area to go. Meat supplies were weak at all others, paper products so far so good. Yogurt very low!
SE Alabama, shortages of all frozen potatoes and limited supplies of luncheon meat, and chicken at Publix and Wal-Mart. Still able to find most everything but prices have really gone up. Luckily, have a local supplier for meat.
Thanks or the info.
Fairhope, AL
I did a $400 supply run earlier this week and our local supermarket’s, walmart and BJ’s all look exactly like this photo of the frozen potato section of the freezers. This is in south central maine and in the second largest city in ME.
Other areas of limited stock were fresh produce, certain canned good such as green vegs and frozen vegs looked similar to potato’s. Its here.
How are your Diversity Somalian Muslims behaving themselves up there? Enriching your culture are they?
With lead and offspring mostly!
Our Walmart had almost no potato products, (note I also grow my own potatos, but nephews wanted some at the store) the only thing they had was some imported french fries from Belgium that smelled like cat Piss and tasted like Crap. I through them out after buying some to cook for my nephews to eat with their hamburgers. Talk about a JOKE. There is a reason why you don’t import your food supply.
But “plausible deniability” Joe just publicly stated last week, “shelves are not empty”.
So there’s that……
Here in CT went shopping yesterday.. the wet cat food isle was totally
empty..not a can to be found.. Litter is available but sparce.
The canned/bottled Juice Isle is still very sparce. Same with
bottled water . Even my local IGA was starting to show a few
empty spots but not nearly as bad as Stop n Shop.
The canned Dog food was getting pretty slim as well.
I was able to order wet cat food thr Petco though..
Throughout 2021, I bought Nestle Carnation Coffee Creamer Half and Half, No Refrigeration, Made with Real Dairy, Box of 180 for less than $12. They disappeared from store shelves 6 months ago. Today Amazon is cheapest at ~$20. Others online are much more expensive.
Try office supply stores. I know we ordered the ‘diner’ cups of creamer when I worked as a secretary.
Southern Indiana near Louisville. I have an Aldi, Kroger and Meijer practically next to each other so I cherry pick the ads. Kroger has an especially good ad this week. Milk usually $1.69 gal, eggs $1.19 doz but often on sale. Butter $1.99 this week for Kroger store brand. Wright’s thick cut bacon 24oz package $7.99, boneless skinless chicken breast always $1.99lb or less at all 3 stores. Inventory is generally good and I’m well stocked.
Retail has been devastated – most fast food is drive thru only. Many vacant store fronts on what was Miracle Mile a few short years ago.
Here in SWFL we have not had Yukon gold potatoes since Christmas only russets. Shortage of fresh garlic. Only green bananas. Sports drink shelves bare. Some smaller markets have eliminated their fresh fruit and produce completely. Cookie shelves are getting cleaned out. Meat cases only half full. Walgreens and CVS having unexpected closures. It’s a mess!
Gulf Coast and Orlando area seem to be the worst hit in FL. so far?
N FL., east coast not too bad yet.
But I’ve been taking what you guys report as a Heads Up to try and get those things, cuz I know it’ll hit here sooner or later.
Coastal NorCal/So. Oregon:
Zero impacts. No bare shelves. Only time I saw anything “empty” was a tardy re-stock of a coffee shelf last month in a Wal-Mart. Still got my month’s worth of java thanks to a second fully-stocked coffee shelf at the end of the aisle. One person said a few weeks ago they saw a similar event in the same store only on a different product.
No store I’ve been into has any empty shelves. Our little local rural market has always been fully stocked with a surprisingly diverse selection thanks to new owners, including fresh daily produce. Prices are normal, aside from gas in California. But that’s due to California. Go across the border to Oregon and save easily a dollar or more per gallon.
Everyone is scratching their heads about this “shortage crisis” that has yet to materialize. We think it’s just fear porn.
The only shortage is in people sick with, or dying from, a virus.
Good information!
Really!? No food shortages in the land of ‘chronic’ munchies?
Could you be in such a well-stocked area due to ports or distribution hubs?
HEB in SW Houston had huge display of “Cuties” mandarin oranges that were nearly $8 a bag. Closer inspection revealed that every one had rotten ones inside. Beside it was a large display of alternative brand mandarins from Mexico that I’d not seen before.
Shelves for Kraft foods items were mostly empty. Lots of store brand items.
Same at my HEB in San Antonio. Grandkids love those mandarin oranges, so bought for Christmas. Had to throw quite a few away.
As I walked through yesterday, I could hardly keep from crying. Just all so needless. I wanted to tell the assistant managers that I appreciate all they are doing to keep food in the store, but knew I would cry if I did. And I’m not a super emotional person. Gotta get my prayer warrior armor back on and get after it!
God have mercy on us.🙏🏼🙏🏼🇺🇸🇺🇸🙏🏼🙏🏼
You can see, Landslide. Both a curse and a blessing. I’m polishing away, and Im praying for endurance.
Indeed, the burden seems heavy at times. Thanks for the encouragement.❤️🙏🏼
You’re welcome. I think we all need it, sometimes more than others. If we can’t find it here, I’m not sure where I’d look.😊
Aldi yesterday, no potato products at all. All shelves were very sparse, but one thing I did notice on journey there and home. A huge amount of people out grocery shopping in their lunch hour. More people than usual.
Where is this?
When husband and I were shopping today we noticed that there were more shopping during the day than usual and most were buying simple canned and dried goods.
Not too many getting frozen heat up stuff or ready to eat food like we usually see here.
A lot of paper products being purchased and basics like sugar, flour, baking powder etc.
Go figure.
SE michigan in small local family grocer: high prices but seemed well-supplied. Lettuce $2.49
Well stocked on produce.
But they are historically high priced, and they carry few brands.
I didnt think to check freezer section.
I go to Stop and Shop every week here in Western Mass.
At first it was the wet cat food that was empty then every week more empty sections and today more empty shelves…I wish I had taken pictures.
Rice and pasta wiped out,
Sections of canned goods wiped out frozen veggies sparse, eggs wiped out butter wiped out…all paper products wiped out, toilet paper paper towels paper plates…all cat products wiped out wet cat food cans dry cat food cat liter.
Many empty sections throughout the store.
Where are you getting your shopping done?
Just got back from our Publix in Dunedin, FL. Lots of gaps in frozen foods, dairy (but OK on eggs and milk). Land o Lakes butter on sale at $5.07/pound. Costco trip yesterday saw shelves fully stocked except for Kirkland paper towels. Butter $11 for four pounds. But the pallets above the eye-level offerings were hit and miss, which would indicate supplies are getting lower. Stocking up on staples, paper products, wipes, etc. Thank God we got out of New York 8 months ago.
Retired Magistrate here: Went to the Kroger store on Rt. 23, Lewis Center, Ohio (Delaware Ohio) yesterday. Large sacks of potatoes, vegetable and fruit section well stocked, meat selection good (got 80/20 hamburger for $4.00 pound) and baked good section well stocked with some products on sale.
Did notice a shortage of wheat crackers and canned goods. This store still had Zicam on sale, Centrum Senior vitamins on sale and other cold type items on sale, so I stocked up on the sale items.
We are not too far from the Great Lakes Distribution Center for Kroger; we are located in Delaware county and the distribution center is located outside of Delaware Ohio; about 8 miles from us.
Today, we had our fine dining in the car at the Taco Bell off of Rt. 23, just outside Delaware, Ohio. It was heartening to see so many large trucks going by, more so than usual. It will be interesting to see how many trucks we see if Biden’s trucker vaccine mandate goes into effect.
Greetings from Warren County!
And Clermont Co.
I’m in a suburb of Sacramento, so far not bad yet. I’m starting to stock up in Salt and Rice. Adding TP once a week.
SW Florida. I put down this article and went to Publix just now to scout things out before commenting. In my opinion, I think there is some panic buying already starting. Particularly with paper products. The entire isle both sides was wiped completely clean. (Pun intended). Haven’t seen it like this since 2020.
Just as SD says, frozen potatoes are cleaned out as are most saltine crackers, sports drinks, lots of cereal, nuts, soups and wet pet food. Lots of sweet cookies also very low, like Oreos. What really struck me by paying attention was that many sections looked like they were well stocked, but the product was pulled to the front with very little behind it.
I am thankful for this site and having the information needed to protect myself and my family. I am well stocked and probably able to go six months. That includes gas, propane, and especially paper products😁
Here in coastal So. Cal. the local Costco seems generally well stocked. Similarly the local Trader Joes and Smart & Final have full shelves. Maybe this is because we are close to major food production areas like Mexico and the Central Valley as well as several major port complexes? Like everything in Commiefornia prices are quite a bit higher of course. When in Arizona we shop at Smith’s Food & Drug which is owned by Kroger. As of a month ago the Smith’s in Kingman & Prescott were well stocked.
When I went to my HEB here in San Antonio area, (Alamo ranch)Mon., Jan 10,there were no frozen fries, tater tots, etc. The case had been completely cleared and frozen whole new potatoes was fronting that area, as if fries never existed. Ha
The chicken section in the meat dept was empty.
They had a bit of a sale on their grass fed ground beef.
I bought half a smoked ham, 😂 with a $20 off coupon. (brought it down to about 1.29#)
That night, my son checked the neighborhood app ( good to see what’s going on. Glad he has it, I don’t put apps on my phone. Lol)
. HEB was reporting they have plenty in their warehouse, but they have trucks out of commission because they can’t get the parts to repair them. So, they are prioritizing what they send out.
Not sure if that was just P.R. Or if it’s true. But, it is something we can count on in the future, I do believe. (Not being able to find parts)
My husband works in insurance. There is a huge problem with collision parts for car claims. I wonder if this is in any way related to the truck parts issue.
As stated by others, one reason these NeoFascists are intentionally breaking the supply chain is because it hinders the development of a parallel economy which would be difficult for them to control.
This is why I have been telling people for going on 40 years to start growing their own food while creating local food systems. Don’t mean to brag, but I’m sitting pretty right now. I have two freezers filled with meat (goose, duck, goat, lamb, rabbit and venison), another freezer filled with tomato products (diced for stews, sauce, paste and salsa) and chili rellenos, winter squash and potatoes from last year’s garden plus seed potatoes for next year, jars of saurkraut and pickled beets, homemade cheese and yogurt, and a daily supply of fresh duck eggs. Animal feed is a concern, especially for the cats and dogs, but I’ll figure something out even if it means harvesting fresh roadkill.
I suggest that everyone start looking for local sources of food while preparing to grow your own as soon as possible. Better late than never. And while you’re at it, learn to forage and hunt, and recognize that roadkill can also be a food source. At the very least, this will make you less dependent on multinational corporations for some of your needs, and that is always a good thing.
What do you have set up if the electrical power grid goes down?
At the moment, I have a couple of generators. Hoping to get a bio-digester up and running in the next year. Might put up some solar panels too, but I think a bio-digester would be better for the long run.
NJ Shoprite is routinely wiped out of chicken, OJ and frozen potatoes.
Wegmans had empty bins where spuds should be
If the supply of some packaged food does get short remember that the “out date” is usually marked “best by”. Canned goods are ok for years after the “best buy” date. Recently used canned green beans 9 years past best by date. Many other packaged foods are still very safe to eat. The quality may have declined.
Old enough to remember life before “best by”. We would use our various senses to tell if food was still good. Smell, taste, appearance.
We would use our various senses to tell if food was still good. Smell, taste, appearance.
Yep! My wife is beyond weary of me shoving food stuff under her nose while asking, does this smell bad? lol, and she eats it because she understands I will not.
Still use the old fashioned way of checking ourselves if something is “off”.
Husband and I often ask each other “does this look funny to you” or “does this smell funny”.
Old habits die hard.
I unknowingly once ate a can of “out of date” chowder. It brought me eye to eye with my mortality.
In the last week I have been to a walmart 4 times. 2 X in nearby CT and 2 X in RI. Frozen potatoes cases were about half full/empty. No canned cat food and minimal dog pads. I spoke to a Frito Lay stockman. He informed me they are having a hard time getting products from the factory. Junk food aisle was stocked but dried raisins had minimal stock. Long beef/chicken/pork isle was about 2/3 or less stocked. KA flour, 5 lb bags out except for 2 broken bags. All other brands of flour pretty well stocked. Did notice Walmart brand of organic flour not rotated as 12/21 bags were in the back. Price compares within a few cents to KA flour, non-organic. Canned chicken was minimal and what was there was dented. Lots of tuna, and Spam (yes, I have tons). Macaroni aisle was about 60% stocked. Most other aisles were stocked. I will do a run-through of all the places I shop at on Monday and will report back. I heard a local radio station (RI and Mass) discussing empty grocery shelves on Tuesday. So, some of the public is aware. In 2 weeks the “beginning of the month” will upon us adding more stress to food stores.
Food stamps/EBT resets at the beginning of the month for most states.
Here in SC wet cat food is in very short supply. Shelves just about clean in most stores. Very little selection.
Try PetSmart and local pet stores.
Montana – Wal Mart
I’m noticing that the amount of space given to ‘canned goods’ has been reduced. It’s subtle, but the amount of shelving dedicated to ‘canned’ products has decreased by about 1/3 in the last four months.
Just ate at one of my favorite Chinese restaurants yesterday. I don’t think any item in their menu included potatoes. Well, I could be wrong…
Central Texas here, very small rural town with no grocery store.
Small grocery store in next town had usual amounts of most everything. Prices have gone up.
Trekked up to Sam’s Club in Abilene on Wednesday. Meat section looked very light compared to usual. Very little chicken, no thighs (not even frozen). Only had 3 rotisserie chickens left at midday when there are usually still dozens.
Many items had “one-per-household” limits. They were nearly out of all pasta. So short-staffed they had only two check out lines. They did have staff in the aisles moving products forward and sideways to make shelves appear fuller in small items sections.
Went to Walmart in Brownwood, TX yesterday. Frozen food section had big empty sections for vegetables, potatoes.
Meat section light on everything. No sausage left at all. No whole chickens, no thighs.
No large containers left for butter, coffee. Small appliances section very empty. Out of microwaves, only a few of the most expensive coffee makers left.
Vitamins section was very sparsely stocked. And, as usual, paper products completely empty.
Jacksonville Florida. I shop WalMart almost exclusively, due to fixed income. I found hardly any shortages of anything at Walmart or nearby Publix and Winn Dixie. However the price increases are outrageous. Eggs, for example, early in 2020 were about 1.05 per dozen, have now gone up to 3,39 per dozen. So, plenty of groceries available, but be pepared to pay through the nose. FJB and all democrats…..
In the Omaha area: went to a Baker’s grocery store yesterday and did not notice a shortage of anything. Oddly, the Super Target in the same area was very thin on canned soups. Didn’t really shop, so don’t know whether the Target was sparce elsewhere, but no problem there with milk.
If you prefer to mix something into your coffee, you might want to visit a health food store and check out their protein shake mix section. The powdered whey mixes in more smoothly than the plant-based protein powders. The boxed shakes, like Dr. Atkins or Muscle Milk, are expensive but go nicely in coffee IMO.
Just a thought. Works for me.
Far west Wisconsin weighing in. When we went to the Twin Cities to shop last wekend, there were mostly sweet potatoes in the frozen section, with just a couple bags of steak fries. We were able to find frozen potatoes in a couple of our local, smaller grocery stores, but the prices were noticeably higher. We have been paying attention, and appreciate the survival course you have taught us. We started stocking up months ago, anticipating that we will most likely be sharing our bounty with family members who have been stockpiling, but not on a scale that I believe will sustain them for as long as this crisis will be in play. Thank you for your warnings. Also, remember to buy seeds! We have noticed that they are disappearing fairly quickly, and when more people realize how serious this may become, they may be too late to get the needed supplies to plant their own gardens.
Grrrr “weekend”, not “wekend”.
Manhattan: Just got back from Trader Joe’s. Bought for over $300.00. No wheat crackers (they’ve been short for weeks now), frozen potatoes with mushrooms and string beans disappeared weeks ago as have other varieties of their frozen potatoes, no acorn squash, very little sliced ham, but everything else was pretty full, albeit more expensive in some cases. TJ’s has been pretty good with keeping prices steady. Spaghetti is still $0.99/lb., Campari tomatoes $2.99/box, milk and eggs haven’t increased yet and are plentiful so far, meat has gone up but fish (fresh and frozen) has not and the produce section was well stocked.
Noticeable price increases: apples (OMG!), beef, chicken.
Last week at TJs, however, they were short of everything – from cheese to hamburger. Luck of the draw today, I guess.
Hill and D eggs grade A large are not large eggs anyone who has ever had chickens would know this.
The eggs they are calling grade A large are being laid by young pullets ones that just started laying.
Very small and not grade A large
Went to two Publix in St Augustine, both looked good but no frozen potatoes and the gatorade products were slim. I buy most of their Greenwise products and that was low especially eggs and creamer.
I have mentioned it before that our company sells adhesive to the box companies and many food companies and we have been told raw materials are going up another five percent on February 1st, this will affect all packaging and will be felt down stream. We are also on allocation so it has already started to be a difficult new year.
I wouldn’t mind living in St. Augustine! Visited there once. I heard Fernandina Beach is another good spot (particularly for conservatives, is this true?).
I live in Ventura County CA. Went to at least 3 grocery stores this week. All of them were very well stocked. They were actually having a sale on a name brand pasta ($0.79).
The meat section looked well stocked, however, the beef prices are outrageous. $35.00 for a chuck roast. Chicken is plentiful but prices are high as well. I did find lots of Philadelphia Cream Cheese.
I have stocked up on canned goods, rice, pasta, soup, flour, yeast, baking mixes.
I am a pastry chef, and have been telling my clients prices are rising. I do worry about getting supplies when I have large orders. But for now, plenty of butter, eggs, milk cheese available.
I love Boars Head meats and could always get them at Gelsons (high end grocery) that has been selling it for years. They no longer sell it. Luckily I found it at Ralphs. They are not getting shipments in as often as they used to but the case had just been stocked. Yay for me!!
Stay safe everyone!!
Not that I ever buy cereal except for ravenous after school big and getting bigger 16 year old grandsons on the days I pick them up from school, but for weeks no Rice Crispies, plain or flavoured.
They used to occupy a goodly section in the cereal aisles. No more
My area: So. Oregon
Fresh potatoes are available.
In fact, the price is going down
Some milk products (1/2 gal and lactose free) are spotty
Apples/lettuce/tomatoes are going up nearly every week
Pound blocks of Cheese are stable and in stock regularly
Bread……it’s always there but going up on the regular
Liquids like juices, soda, Gatorade are up and spotty availability
Sandwich meat is sky rocketing and sometimes unavailable for reasonable price
We are in a small town in Tennessee. Prices have trippled, but our local grocery has done a great job of keeping shelves stocked. I’ve found that the one thing that is out-of-stock is half-n-half. Weird. Plenty of milk, also heavy whipping cream. This is no big deal, just an observation.