The shelves of Texas grocery stores were seriously picked over, if not empty, for the second time in less than a year, said a Texas A&M AgriLife expert. But winter storm-related supply chain shortages are different than those consumers experienced during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.
It’s a matter of supply and demand, said David Anderson, Ph.D., Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service economist, Bryan-College Station.
“This is not another COVID situation from last March,” Anderson said. “This is a really harsh winter storm. Of course, the effects have been exacerbated by the electric grid and water problems.”
He explained that snow and ice storms, as well as other weather events, can and do cause food production problems, some short- and some long-term.
Many AgriLife Extension agents and specialists as well as other government officials are assessing damages this week and turning those reports in for a state assessment of expected losses and economic impacts. Some impacts can be seen immediately, while others, especially on crops subjected to freezing temperatures for extended periods, need some time to materialize once the snow and ice have melted away.
“If a cattle packing plant is shut down, then beef production will be lower one week but back up the next,” he said. “Also, these weather events may destroy crops like vegetables or fruit. If they do, then we’ll have tighter supplies and higher prices until the next production can occur either from another region of the world or part of the U.S. If the storm killed a lot of chickens, then we might have lower production for a few months and higher prices.”
So, while this is a transportation and supply chain issue again, it is one that will be mostly short in nature. What occurred last week and through the weekend in the stores is the result of pretty understandable occurrences, Anderson said.
“We aren’t used to seeing the shelves empty because almost all the time the trucks run normally and restocking gets done,” he said. “So, it’s a surprise when it happens.”
But, he said, with a little time to resupply shelves, things will be back to normal.