Here's why store shelves are empty again in parts of the U.S.

Author: Editors Desk

January 12, 2022 at 14:37

A shopper walks past empty meat shelves in a supermarket in Miami, on Jan. 11, 2022.Joe Raedle / Getty Images

The Covid omicron variant's rapid spread among workers and a bad stretch of winter weather have made a challenging supply chain situation worse.

By Phil McCausland

The recent spread of the omicron variant among supply chain workers, sour weather and even a recall of bagged salads and vegetables have caused Americans to once again find barren shelves at supermarkets or retail stores.

While industry leaders hope this latest supply chain foul-up will be a short-term frustration, it comes amid the ongoing challenges they’ve faced during the pandemic: shipping delays, congestion at ports, labor shortages and more.

Doug Baker, vice president of industry relations for the Food Marketing Institute, a trade group, said the latest Covid-19 variant and the bad stretch of winter weather have made the supply chain situation worse. He said he remained hopeful things would normalize again once the country got through the omicron surge.

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