Aussie supermarket shelves have been stripped bare of produce and everyday household items – so how should shoppers approach the current crisis?
Supermarket shelves across the country have been stripped bare by panicked shoppers as tens of thousands of new Covid cases daily hit vital sectors in charge of rolling out the nation’s food.
Thousands of workers in the food production industries have been forced into isolation, causing fresh food and household supplies to be left in warehouses without enough people to roll them out onto the shelves.
The situation is impacting all elements of the supply chain, including supermarket giants Coles and Woolworths, which are reporting staff shortages at distribution centres of up to 35 per cent.
Australian Food and Grocery Council CEO Tanya Barden said the best way for consumers to navigate the crisis was to avoid hoarding groceries.
While the situation is expected to escalate in coming weeks, shoppers are being urged to buy what they regularly do and not stockpile groceries.
“Consumers need to be prepared that they may not get everything that they want and that they might need to make some choices about choosing different products or different brands,” Ms Barden told 3AW on Monday.
As case numbers rise, store shelves across have been stripped of bread, meat, fresh produce, and long-life items.
Shoppers are grappling with bare supermarket shelves because of the supply chain woes.
“We’ve seen supermarkets putting some constraints on the amount of products that some consumers can buy because they’ve had trouble getting products from their distribution centres into store,” Ms Barden said.
“Manufacturers of those products are facing significant furloughing of staff and that’s impacting their ability to be ale to produce products.
“We’re seeing some companies needing to either shut production of certain products or reduce their product range.”
The council lobbied the Victorian Government to come into line with Queensland and NSW where huge changes have been made to close contact rules.
The council has urged the government to allow workers who are close contacts to return to work if they are asymptomatic as well as roll out extensive use of rapid antigen tests for those industries.
Victoria’s acting chief health officer Ben Cowie said workers in the manufacturing, distribution and packaging industries would be exempted from close contact isolation requirements, to ease pressure on the industry.
Workers will receive the exemption only to attend work and will be required to undertake daily rapid antigen tests.
“They won’t be able to enter shared break areas and employers will have to make a reasonable effort to ensure that they’re able to take breaks separate from other workers,” Professor Cowie said.
“Face coverings must be worn throughout the shift.”
Originally published as Aussie food shortage: expert advice for shoppers
For all the latest Covid-19 News Click Here
For the latest news and updates, follow us on Google News.
