As unemployment numbers continue to soar and economic uncertainty looms due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, food banks across the United States are experiencing a surge in demand. At the same time, however, a parallel narrative has emerged as new reports and social media posts detail farmers dumping or throwing out produce, dairy and even animals destined for slaughter. With restaurants and other big venues closed, many farmers and food processors have lost their largest buyers.
In light of the competing struggles, Feeding America joined with the American Farm Bureau Federation of America on Monday to call on the U.S. Department of Agriculture for support in expanding partnerships and working relationships between the two sectors. To help meet the country’s pressing needs, the organizations recommended implementing a voucher program between farmers and food banks, which they said would allow them to do business together directly, instead of going through the usual process that involves third-party distributors, packing plants and possible long-distance travel.
While consumer demands shifted quickly as people rushed to their local supermarkets to stock up on goods, the agriculture sector’s supply chain is much less nimble. With schools shut down, for example, the dairy producers have had to find new buyers for the small cartons of milk typically distributed to cafeterias. Another option farmers are working through is reorganizing production processes to use the milk for other purposes, like making cheese or yogurt, but that requires additional labor which may not be available now.
Source: Today
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