Arlington, VA – Leslie G. Sarasin, president and CEO of FMI – The Food Industry Association, today commented on the industry’s continued efforts to stabilize the grocery supply chain and respond to shopper demand:
“The last 20 months do not reflect traditional business cycles in the grocery industry. For the supply chain to stabilize and regain a sense of familiarity in terms of operations, there unfortunately is not a simple solution. The current challenges are due to a confluence of supply chain factors – materials and ingredients; labor; equipment; transportation and trucking; capacity; inventory control; cost pressures; and weather-related events.
“At the beginning of the pandemic, the grocery industry faced unprecedented consumer demand, and now, the demand pressures we felt in March 2020 have not returned to pre-pandemic levels. The combination of all these challenges will continue to be disruptive and will create an uneven supply chain recovery, but we ask that shoppers hold on as we continue to recalibrate. While we maintain resiliency in our global grocery supply chain, more time is needed to reach a new equilibrium.”