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?

I think it is panic buying. I was in the shower ready to rush out and get in the queue for the supermarket openings this morning with plans for which order to go round each store taking into account times for vulnerable people (i.e. getting there after because I’m not). I calmed down and realised that firstly, I was well stocked for at least a couple of weeks and secondly other people needed it more so I didn’t go in the end.

Having said that, I live on my own a long way from vulnerable family (as in a different country) - if I had been worried about feeding my kids, firstly I’d need a lot more food and secondly, I’m not sure I would have snapped out of the panic.

The amount of people buying chest freezers, and asking if anyone has one "spare" on Facebook, is untrue. I think it's a safe bet where it's all going. Couldn't even get milk last night. It's pathetic.

I honestly think the photos people have been sharing on social media of empty supermarkets is just before closing time or something just to scare people into even more panic buying

Our local small supermarket had their normal delivery of milk at 6.30 am by the time I got there at 7.30 they had none left AND they are rationing to three dairy items per person! DH and I have stopped using milk as our autistic son has a limited diet and milk is very important to him. I have frozen what we did have and rationing it to him. I haven’t been able to buy fresh milk for the last five dats.

I spoke to a shop assistant yesterday. Deliveries are coming in daily, its people panic buying. Where i live you cant get ANY meat. No chicken or beef!!!

I want to move where you live😂 My local supermarkets did indeed look like that pictures people were sharing.

Me too!

I have one credit card, used for holidays, goods, shopping payed off in full each month. My credit limit is 12k. I really think some people are maxxing out their cards panic buying. The fallout from this will last well beyond the coronavirus.

I want to know where people are finding all this money. One person I see at school who is forever whining about being completely skint is now on Facebook boasting about spending 300+ in one shop and still going back for more

@BuggerOffAndGoodDayToYou have you got any polish shop or similar nearby? That was the only place I saw milk in few days ago

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.

In that case people really are stupider than I thought.

I bought loads of vegetables today because I’m a vegetarian, won’t be wasting any!

I think this panic buying has highlighted how many people lack basic cooking skills.

Ours seems to be a combination of people buying a lot and stock shortages - no hand gel or handwash for 2 weeks ever. Toilet roll is a case of stalking the delivery driver but comes in each day.

Lots of elderly here who have to self-isolate and aren't supposed to be out at all so may have stocked up for a long time. DH said Sainsburys had no meat today at all but plenty of veg - its stuff for freezer that's going. I did a butchers order before so we have meat. Trouble is now whole family have to self isolate if ill and who is there to help? No-one here, we are only ones under 70 in our street. No state help for them either AFAIK or anyone checking other than neighbours they are OK.

i doubt the extra supplies have kicked in yet, will take time

What are these 'extra supplies'? Do people think there's a secret warehouse somewhere that Boris just needs to give the word for us to access? There's a global shutdown, people. Fresh food isn't being harvested, packaged and flown around the world anymore. Processed food isn't being, well, processed at the same rate. If you haven't given much thought to where your food comes from up to now, you're about to get a crash course. People are right to be panicking. I recommend everyone starts growing salad on their windowsill and, yes, learn to cook.

DS in Leeds saw trolleys full of ready meals. I said well not everyone could cook. He was amazed.

People are right to be panicking. I recommend everyone starts growing salad on their windowsill and, yes, learn to cook.

My husband is building a greenhouse as we speak.

Our windowsills are COVERED in seedling trays.

What we are seeing is the reality of how fragile our just-in-time supply chains are. Everything is finely tuned to meet normal patterns of demand so if you get a serious spike you end up with gaps, either in the packing plants, the distribution centres, the delivery trucks or the shops. They will catch up but they can't just flick a switch and respond instantaneously.

Twaddledee
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.

One of the ones near us is doing this, but you can’t split cases. So you can have 3kg of icing sugar or 24 tins of baked beans or 900 loo rolls. You also have to place quite a high minimum order level, and you can’t get everything you need. Which to be honest is an absolute pain. I don’t especially want to fork out a fortnight’s weekly shop for a two month supply of five items. So it is there, but it’s not as accessible as a supermarket, market or high street.

they would still be eating elsewhere if not at home? .... that food is still in the system
But as places only closed down yesterday its not magically appearing in shops now!
People have been stocking up/panic buying for 2 weeks solid. Supermarket j.i.t stock just cant cope.

Most people do not have a surpless of food at home because they are used to having everythjng there in a shop exactly when they want it. They suddenly realised that they need more food in to cover all those extra meals so thier usual shopping has increased by a huge amount.

There's probably some effect for people eating more from home than normal. We are all usually not at home for lunch so that's an extra 28 meals (4 of us x 7 meals) and we would also usually go to the pub one night to eat, so that's another 4, plus a few early starts each week where either me or dh would pick up a take out breakfast on the way in to work. All in all it translates to a lot more in our weekly shop.

Most people's trolleys have looked reasonable here, the issue is I guess is that people are being told not to go out more than you need to, and that you may need to self isolate at short notice if you start showing symptoms; let alone those who are vulnerable and being told 12 weeks. With no home delivery slots available for weeks, not everyone having someone they can rely on to help out and go shopping for them if needed, I don't think it's a surprise people are buying more. It's just the level some have gone to, and the fact that they keep going back for more when they already have enough.

SnoozyLou
This. Wondering how many freezers have been delivered this week for every major appliance vendor to be practically or totally out of stock. Anyone admit to buying one that they didnt need a month ago

It's the milk that's getting me. The cows are still being milked so where is all milk going? Are people suddenly bathing in it? Surely it will go off?

Do you wonder where people fit that freezers? New table stand? Raised bed for a child? Wait no. Leave the bed. There are cans underneath 🤔

You can freeze milk (I always put a pint in the freezer before going on holiday so I can have a cup of tea when I get back). My guess is it’s all going in the new freezers mentioned above.

Wondering how many freezers have been delivered this week for every major appliance vendor to be practically or totally out of stock.

It probably doesn't take that many. Aside from the just-in-time methodology, there are very few electrical or electronic devices that don't have at least some components made in China and China has been largely shut down for the past couple of months.

Yes we bought a freezer - have to have whole household self-isolate to 14 days if one of us gets a cough or fever and no-one to help so yes we do now need it. All of our neighbours are over 70. Imagine there's lots in same boat with no-one able to help, no state support whatsoever AFAIK. The rate its likely to spread by people ignoring the need to isolate means numbers in that situation will rise pretty rapidly.

@RedLentilYellowLentil Food is currently being harvested, processed and delivered and while there is a possibility that the food supply could be impacted, especially due to travel restrictions ie no movement of seasonal workers, that’s an area that governments, farming groups and retailers all over Europe and indeed the rest of the world are focusing on right now. It’s too soon for this to have severely impacted food production.

Currently the food is in the system. People in Italy, France and Spain are not struggling for food (or toilet roll). In Ireland (where I am) there was some panic buying after the government announced school closures on the Thursday afternoon but by that Sunday the shops were pretty much back to normal.

I can’t understand what the hell is going on in the UK . I went to my usual supermarket at 10am today. They were a bit low on pasta and tinned beans/peas (though not sold out) but everything else was normal! There was lots of fruit, veg, toilet roll, cereal, pasta sauce, eggs, fresh bread, milk, pretty much everything was in reasonably plentiful supply. I realise we’re a smaller country of course but we certainly don’t produce all the products available ourselves!

I really hope this is sorted soon in the UK. It’s awful reading some of these threads and hearing from family and friends over there who can’t get basics anywhere .