Fed Up Canadian
Ice cream, styrofoam cups, Tequila, agave; these are a few items that we are going to see less and less this summer.
During the summer months, supply and demand problems become more acute, which means that many other items are also at risk of vanishing from sight.
It appears that the shortage of everything is happening across America, and even here in Canada. Retailers left and right are facing empty shelves, and consumers are being forced to pay more for the items they need as demand continues to exceed supply. Conditions are getting so extreme that you may not find some summer favorites like ice cream, tequila, burgers and beer at your local supermarket in the coming months.
Let’s take a look at some of the other items that you might notice missing on shelves in the upcoming months.
Meat
The U.S. cattle herd is declining in a scenario that will not reverse until late 2023. The drought-like conditions in the U.S. Plains may lead to more cowherd liquidation. There are concerns that inflation is weighing on beef demand. No doubt, such concerns are warranted, in fact, in the year ahead, a shortage of red meat, beef and pork will be a headline grabber. Yes, a shortage of beef and pork appears likely.
Farm-grown fruits and vegetables
Farm-grown fruits and vegetables were some of the biggest victims of the fertilizer shortage that erupted during the pandemic and exponentially worsened after the world lost two major producers (Russia and Ukraine) of NPK – which stands for nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, the three primary ingredients plants need to grow.
At the peak of the shortage, farmers were seeing fertilizer prices shooting up 700%, and that was right when planting season began. Consequently, many small producers that could not afford the rise in costs started abandoning their less profitable crops.
