I can’t tell you how concerning I find it that the White House is willing to admit that there will be food shortages in the US. This is the same administration that claimed the borders are secure and that Afghanistan was a success.
I suspect Biden’s willingness to admit that shortages are coming is because he is able to blame it on Russia The reality is, it’s a much more complicated issue than the war in Ukraine—But we’ll get back to that later.
During a press briefing Biden was asked to confirm rumors of an upcoming food shortage in the US. For once, he acknowledged a problem.
Biden responded, “With regard to food shortage, yes, we did talk about food shortages. And — and it’s going to be real. The price of these sanctions is not just imposed upon Russia, it’s imposed upon an awful lot of countries as well, including European countries and our country as well. And — because both Russia and Ukraine have been the breadbasket of Europe in terms of wheat, for example — just to give you one example.
He continued, “But we had a long discussion in the G7 with the — with both the United States, which has a significant — the third-largest producer of wheat in the world — as well as Canada, which is also a major, major producer. And we both talked about how we could increase and disseminate more rapidly food. Food shortages.”
Biden concluded, “And in addition to that, we talked about urging all the European countries and everyone else to end trade restrictions on — on sending — limitations on sending food abroad. And so, we are in the process of working out, with our European friends, what it would be — what it would take to help alleviate the concerns relative to food shortages. ”
Watch
Biden on food shortages: "It's going to be real." pic.twitter.com/QGWRCf6LiB
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) March 24, 2022
According to Consumer Brands Association President and CEO Geoff Freeman, 5% to 10% of items in U.S. supermarkets are out of supply at any given time; right now, that unavailability rate hangs around 15%.
According to National Grocers Association, the latest survey by many of its member retail and wholesale grocers are running their stores with half of their typical staff.
That isn’t even the shortage that Biden is referring to. We began March with reports that eggs, meat, honey, corn, soy, and wheat will probably hit major shortages. With the war in Ukraine, those shortages are expected to hit most countries hard—Even the United States.
Previously, supply chain issues were linked to a low workforce, drought, and inflation primarily. Now, the world is in disarray with import products taking a huge hit the future list of items you’ll find hard to get is uncertain at this time.
The price of food supplies available will rise. That’s not even debatable, it’s just how supply and demand work.
Just a personal note to the readers. It is not too late to start a home garden. Even if you’re a renter—Plenty of people grow a percentage of their own food from containers. There are tons of videos online to show you how. I would also suggest building yourself a community.
If you have any advice for others, please feel free to drop them in the comments below.
Erica Carlin is an independent journalist, opinion writer and contributor to several news and opinion sources. She is based in Georgia.
