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Original poster

How and when will the food situation improve?

47 replies

Crunchymum · 19/03/2020 20:51

Starting to get a bit concerned now.

Didn't stockpile or go mad. Day on day it seems to be getting worse?

I am local to 3 supermarkets (I'm in central London) plus several supermarket 'locals' plus independents.

I have enough to last the week. Then we will be desperate!!

When will things start to improve??

OP posts:
Original poster
Crunchymum · 19/03/2020 22:22

Anyone?

OP posts:
Asvan · 19/03/2020 22:26

In my area people have been panic buying because there were social media messages going around saying that lockdown would start this weekend. It was so bad that there was no milk or bread left in any of my local shops. I have a feeling that once we are all actually in lockdown all the madness will end, especially when people realise that shops will still be open.

Bufferingkisses · 19/03/2020 22:44

I agree, it will end when we actually lock down (or case numbers fall). People are not going to stop panicking until they are forced to.

Biscuitburglar · 19/03/2020 22:50

Please don’t worry about food shortages. I work for a supermarket and there is plenty of food at suppliers. The problem is getting it in through the warehouses and out again in the volumes that customers are currently buying it. If we all want to help in the fight against the CV, one thing that we can do (as well as no non essential contact) is to eat what we’ve got before we buy more. If we all did that it would give the supermarkets three or four or more days to catch up and then they would be full again. Eat what you have, no food waste and then shop for just what you need = plenty of choice and no shortages.

MiniMum97 · 21/03/2020 13:33

I just had a delivery and they delivered almost everything. Just two items they didn't have (pasta lol!) and 6 substitutions - three of which we kept. I was half expecting them to turn up with one bag of peas! lol! If everyone keeps calm, there will be plenty of food. In the meantime, f you are shopping in person try to go early morning (not in the vulnerable persons time slot though unless that applies to you) and just buy what you need.

Bluejuicyapple · 21/03/2020 13:36

There are no major shortages where I am especially in Aldi. There is shortage of some things but more than enough to do a proper shop

babasaclover · 21/03/2020 13:40

It seems like other countries are handling this better than us. Either that or everyone in the me so sick they can't go out

YgritteSnow · 21/03/2020 13:40

Today was far better in London. I think it went crazy last week as it was rumoured we'd be locked down. Tesco had most stuff in - no pasta except dried lasagne and limited tins and dried packets but enough to do an ok shop.

Ikeameatballs · 21/03/2020 13:43

We had a food delivery on Thurs and bought more than normal but did not buy an excess of any one thing. There were loads of substitutions and a few things they couldn’t give us.

DP is at home with the kids, I am a hospital doc, and is keeping a strict control on what is eaten in terms of Use by and BB dates so that we eat in date order. Have told the dc to ask before they eat anything that’s not in their snack cupboard.

We have another delivery coming on April 4th and DP is confident we can last until then if we are sensible re portions and don’t waste.

I have ordered some vegetable seeds. No veg patch currently but could grow eg tomatoes, which I eat loads of, chillis etc in a pot.

Pindlesandneedles · 21/03/2020 13:43

I’m in the SW and the situation has improved already. Earlier in the week the shelves were pretty bare. Did the weekly shop today and there was plenty of fresh, frozen and tinned produce. Even managed to get some pasta which has made my 3yo very happy!!

peridito · 21/03/2020 13:45

I'm in SE London and it seems pretty dire to me .I think shops either need to bring in more security guards to enforce 2/3 whatever items or gov will need to authorise police/army to do the same .

Shelves are emptied in a flash ,people crammed in together .No eggs ,no pasta ,no toilet rolls ,v limited cleaning products

Hazelnutlatteplease · 21/03/2020 13:46

one thing that we can do (as well as no non essential contact) is to eat what we’ve got before we buy more

Its a nice sentiment but its not going to happen. We are self isolating on account of DS. Im lucky in i saw this coming and put in food orders for the next 3 weeks and stockpiled over a week ago. If i cant get a delivery for one or two weeks, we will be surviving on my stockpile whats in the house. No way am i eating that unless i have too/pandemic has passed

GoAndAskDaddy · 21/03/2020 13:46

There is no food shortage, I think it is just a distribution issue. Between 30 and 40% of food is generally eaten out of the home which is obviously changing at the moment. My husband is a farmer and we supply supermarkets with potatoes. Orders from the supermarkets this week have gone nuts; orders from the chip shops are much quieter. There is no shortage though!

DressingGownofDoom · 21/03/2020 13:46

Once we are locked down the supermarkets will be better for 2 reasons

  1. we will be restricted to only going once every couple of days I imagine
  2. shops will be essentials only so staff won't be running around trying to stock up carrot cake, duck wraps, Ben & Jerry's etc as well as pasta and tins of beans.
Hazelnutlatteplease · 21/03/2020 13:47

Oh yeah were also being very aware use by dates. Nothing is being wasted

Hippydoodledoo8 · 21/03/2020 13:50

@Hazelnutlatteplease you stockpiled a week ago? Then you’re part of the reason the elderly and vulnerable can’t get food. Shame on you.

Jedstre · 21/03/2020 13:51

I had my Tesco delivery today. Most items were there, some sensible substitutions. Our delivery driver said people were “knocking down the doors” at 6am when the store was due to be open.

Extracurricularfatigue · 21/03/2020 13:52

Shops won’t be essentials only. That would be a pretty poor economic decision. Companies will continue to produce what sells as much as they can and people will continue to buy it.

Hazelnutlatteplease · 21/03/2020 13:52

Did you read my post? DS is vulnerable. Hes been hospitalised due to norovirus and very nearly hospitalised due to breathing difficulties with the flu.

Hazelnutlatteplease · 21/03/2020 13:53

@Hippydoodledoo8

Extracurricularfatigue · 21/03/2020 13:54

We are near a town and the supermarkets there are much better than last weekend. Still big gaps on the shelves in certain areas, but local convenience stores have most of the rest. Bought loo roll the other day from one at the usual price (they are getting a daily delivery unlike the bigger supermarkets). This is entirely around distribution and panic.

DressingGownofDoom · 21/03/2020 13:57

'Shops won’t be essentials only.'

They are in other countries.

Hazelnutlatteplease · 21/03/2020 14:04

And frankly this was very predictable. As soon as italy kicked off after china, supermarkets should have been putting plans in place. Too little was done too late and the vulnerable shpuld have been told to stockpile/increase their weekly shop just in case well over fortnight ago and online orders should have been/be restricted to over 70s, adults with free prescriptions and DLA/Pip claimant. The government has hung people out to dry in this respect. Too little was done too late.

Ikeameatballs · 21/03/2020 14:08

I think that manufacturers are reducing the number of lines they produce to maximise production of the most popular.

Extracurricularfatigue · 21/03/2020 14:12

You can’t just tell one section of society to stock up. It doesn’t work like that unfortunately.

Other countries are allowing people out of their houses to buy ‘food AND essentials’. The actual food is not restricted by anything other than market forces and supply chains.