To wonder where all the food has gone..

[runningpram]

I know it sounds a daft question but just that really.
I've been to the shops and while they were admittedly busier than usual people seemed to be buying normal amounts - I haven't seen anyone buying excessive amounts and there are very few images of it on social media. Clearly demand is substantially higher than usual. But I still don't understand why the shop shelves are completely bare. I popped into Iceland twice in 24 hours - on neither occasion did I buy anything - but lots of the same items were out and the same gaps remained. It looked as though it hadn't been restocked.
My Mum went to Sainsbury's early opening for older/vulnerable people and there was still nothing on the shelves. Obviously this is just the anecdotal evidence of a couple of people
So my question to retail insiders is - what's really happening? Is it case that deliveries aren't coming in, the food can't be put out quick enough, there's issues in the supply chain or is it totally panic buyers?

There will be a huge amount of fresh food waste which is a shame

I think people are naturally having to buy more as no more school lunches, no work canteen, no eating out in cafes and restaurants.

If everyone in the country is having to eat every meal at home then demand will be huge, even without the panic buying.

We were in a supermarket this week and the cashier said that although they are getting deliveries, they aren't getting enough yet to replace all that was purchased by the panic buyers

I do think that at my Sainsbury the deliveries aren't coming in ready for opening - they look they are coming in a little later - so at 11am they are just getting round to putting them out on the shelves - the staff had massive pallets of rice and loo rolls which had obviously just got there - so seems like it's better to save yourself the queue and wait a couple of hours at mine

here will be a huge amount of fresh food waste which is a shame

This

Amazon should block all 3rd party sellers to stop people ridiculously marking up produce they have brought in the shops - for the next few weeks it should be via Amazon Pantry nothing else

Also it does seem like it's calming down a bit at my shops - simply for the fact that most people's cupboards and freezers are full to bursting point now so they simply can't buy much more - to me today it just looked like people doing a top up shop

I did a big shop over a week ago - 2 weeks of meals I then batched cooked a load of different things. I'm just topping up now with a bit of fresh fruit and veg and perishables every other day just in case we had to self isolate

Sneezy
Yes its not difficult to understand why people are buying more.
I have spoken to customers who have bern advised to self isolate due to being in vulnerable group and they need to eat!

Plus all those people who reveled in slagging off people who always have a backstop of food in the house, saying we were mental, stupid etc over the past few weeks many of them doing that with utter venom on MN saying "if i have to isolate then its easy i will just get tescos to do a same day deliver of whatever i need." Are realising thats not gonna happen now and are stocking up.

Please have patience. It’s people stock piling.
My DH does store deliveries. Driving hours have been relaxed, delivery times are now 24/7 - please don’t yell at the fridge hgv trying to deliver at 3am. All drivers are doing extra delivery runs and working silly hours.
Please don’t park your car so hgv drivers can not get to the stores.

Thank you.

they are also panic buying/running out of food in Germany.
it is the threat of self isolation.
i have to shop for my dm and i am concerned

also perhaps the delivery drivers are ill?
i didnt have a delivery the other week due to sickness
it is not inconceivable

I think more people are buying fresh food, because there is no tinned or frozen food left, thanks to the selfish hoarders. Starting to see stuff on eBay for extortionate sums too.

There will be a huge amount of fresh food waste which is a shame

Why will there be waste?

If everyone in the country is having to eat every meal at home then demand will be huge, even without the panic buying.

A very good point.

Just seen a tin of baked beans for £500!

Jaxhog - but they would still be eating elsewhere if not at home? .... that food is still in the system, just now being delivered elsewhere... shops, takeaways. Some distribution hubs which would normally sell to schools etc are now doing home delivery/shop delivery instead. Same food just in different locations.

Why will there be waste?
I think a lot of vegetables will be wasted, sadly. A lot of people who don't really like them will be buying them just because they're there. Other people dump them as soon as the 'best buy' date is reached because they don't realise they can still use them or put them in a soup or something.

I work in food supply chain for the major supermarkets and it is simply panic buying. The panic buying, combined with reduced staff numbers due to SI or illness, means that the store staff are overwhelmed and can’t keep the shelves stocked, which means that it’s harder to get stock out of the distribution centres and into the stores.

Many large suppliers have merchandising teams who usually go into stores to help replenish their products, but the majority of these have been withdrawn from store, which is reducing the workforce further. Food and drink suppliers have stock ready to be delivered into the distribution centres, but there’s a bottle neck getting it out.

Store staff are prioritising replenishing the essentials, which is why you might see products considered less essential not being replenished as there simply is not the manpower to do it all.

Retailers don't keep big amounts of stuff in the back, when stuff is delivered it goes out on shelves as quickly as possible with a "just in time" logistics system. If we really do go into "lockdown" then will factories still be able to stay open if workers have to stay home? Lots of products and raw materials come from EU countries and further afield that will be in lockdown which has a knock on effect on factory priduction runs.
People are trying to plan ahead.

Like most workplaces, food production lines will have people out sick and self isolating atm which causes issues.They may have to shut to enable social distancing and if public transport is cut. I have also heard that a looming problem is that of packaging as some factories are running out of supplies of that and trying to find more local sources that meet H&S requirements.

It must be nearly at the stage when nobody has any room left in their freezer whatsoever, so I reckon it won't be long before demand for fresh meat starts to level out a bit.

I imagine a lot of supermarket staff is off self isolating or ill and may not have sufficient staff to man till and put stuff on shelves. They are all looking for temporary staff

Please don’t park your car so hgv drivers can not get to the stores.
I can't begin to tell you how much I admire the skill of the Lorry drivers getting 44 tonne artics into tiny spaces.

I have been stocking up slowly over the past month before supplies started to run out. Not massive amounts of things just an extra tin or packet here and there. But we did buy a small freezer and put a few things in it - we had been intending to do this for some time anyway as our fridge/freezer wasnt meeting our needs. I live in NI and although a shortage of pasta, handwash and hand gel, everything else not too bad. Certain goods are restricted per customer but shelves are refilling.

just had a walk to Lidl and got a loaf and some steak for tomorrow. No joints for a Sunday lunch but pretty much everything else was there although the shelves not looking full. I didn't need anything desperately but wouldn't have enough bread to last till Monday. I was a bit naughty and bought a cake, I swear I am going to be fat at the end of this as comfort food is calling me and I can't go out and do much so eating more than usual. Maybe that is why people are buying so much - boredom eating.

Wholesale type shops who sell to restaurants, cafes, schools etc (e.g Bookers etc) must have surplus right now I imagine, now that restaurants have closed? I hope that stock can find its way to people and fresh stuff is not wasted.

Well I did a big shop about two weeks ago and usually wpuld have done a medium shop last weekend to get us thrpugh to next weekend. But I did a big shop last weekend and keeping a stock for about 10 days including milk and bread. Now biying daily as no delivery slotz and no click & collect slots.

Am finding that I neex to buy some things when I see them, for example, milk, bread, cereal, tea, toothpaste, because there's no guarantee they will be there the following day.

I was behind a lady yesterday who bought two enormouz boxes of fairy washimg powder, evidently for two old ladies for whom she shopped and who said they would have the big box for £10 if that's all that was there. I did suggest they could have shared and got a dirty look so don't believe the story. Though not sure what she's planning to do with it.