Where’s the beef?
By ERIC SEIVERLING
eseiverling@yourmvi.com
If the sight of empty toilet paper shelves last month wasn’t frustrating enough, brace for the next wave of shortages at your local grocery store.
The coronavirus pandemic has hit the country’s slaughterhouses and meat packing plants, resulting in layoffs, shutdowns and a shortage of meat and causing shoppers to fill their carts with more than they need.
In response to increased demand, supermarkets are raising prices and limiting how much meat customers can purchase.
The combined supply shortage and store-imposed limits have customers asking, “Where’s the beef?”
Giant Eagle recently announced it is temporarily limiting the purchase of ground beef and on-sale meat items to two of each per transaction.
This isn’t the first time the grocery giant has limited meat purchases. The supermarket chain limited quantities on some items shortly after the pandemic hit in March.
“They’re buying as much as they can and we’re having a tough time keeping up,” said Archie Allridge, owner of Fisher Heights Giant Eagle. “We’re running out of pork and chicken. It all has to do with the news.”
Allridge said the supply from slaughterhouses has slowed down.
Four days ago, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that Pennsylvania leads the nation in confirmed cases of COVID-19 among meat production workers.
Twenty-two meat and poultry processing plants across the state employed workers who tested positive for the virus, the report says.
The results are plant shutdowns, workers sent home to quarantine and their fellow employees walking off the job to protest unsafe working conditions.
“The problem is not a shortage of meat,” said Steve Cox, owner of Cox’s Market in Monongahela. “Ranchers still have plenty of livestock. The problem is the closures of the meat packing plants. There’s not enough slaughtering capability.
“The demand has gone up. Everybody’s staying home and most people are cooking at home.”
Cox said his market is now limiting customers to one package of boneless chicken breast and 5 pounds of ground meat.
Cox has felt the impact of the coronavirus in other areas. The store is curbside-pickup only, causing Cox to lose 30% of his workforce. It has also changed its closing time from 9 p.m. to 6 p.m. and is now closed on Sundays.
“I have employees who are over the age of 65 who have underlying health issues and they’ve chosen not to come to work,” Cox said. “We’re short on help.”
Duritza’s Market in North Belle Vernon has not placed a limit on ground meat purchases, and assistant store manager Kristy Jackson said she’s not worried about a shortage of meat.
“Right now, it’s 50-50,” she said. “We have a couple plants that we purchase from. When one is down, we lean on the other one.”
Jackson said the store limited meat purchases during the final two weeks of April and wouldn’t be surprised if it happens again.
“It doesn’t have to do with a meat shortage,” she said. “It’s just the number of people shopping. There’s a concern from the customers. I’ve seen it in other stores.”
Foodland in Monessen began limiting meat purchases Tuesday, said the store’s meat manager, Jeff McKinzie.
Customers are limited to two ground meat packages per transaction, he said.
“It’s because the slaughterhouses are closing,” McKinzie said. “We’re not raising prices right now, but I imagine they will go up soon.”
Cox offered words of encouragement to shoppers on how to avoid a panic when confronted with meat purchase limitations.
“Just keep your head about you,” he said. “Everything works out on its own.”
