The collapse of Australia’s of largest cold-chain refrigeration transport company will be an inconvenience. But it will only be a disaster if shoppers make it so.
As with so many staples and foods in the past two years – lettuce, milk and eggs to name a few – the problem is a temporary imbalance between supply and demand. Here’s what’s happening with potatoes.
A portion of the Coquihalla Highway near Hope, B.C., is destroyed following heavy rains and mudslides in B.C.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward
Food supply chains had already taken a serious hit by panic-purchasing during the COVID-19 pandemic. The B.C. floods remind us how effective supply chain management planning can help avert crises.
There are many hard lessons learned from the pandemic; one is that our food system needs a serious reboot. Luckily, we need only look to nature’s cycles for clues on how to fix it.
Technological advances can help manage more efficient, sustainable and accountable farming practices.
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The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has further destabilized global food chains supplies. Technological innovations like blockchain can help address these challenges.
COVID-19 has further emphasised the need for a more diverse food system, in which SMEs play a key role.
South Africa’s food system is dominated by big firms, leaving small businesses to supply localised and under-served markets, and provide rural employment. It needs to be inclusive and diverse.
After years of food scandals caused by supply chain issues, there are hopes in some quarters that coronavirus could be the key to widespread adoption of blockchains.
Food is a measure of how countries respond to crises from access to pricing to shortages.
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Food is essential to survival. It is also essential to identity. During times of national crisis like the coronavirus pandemic and in the historical landscape, food issues become prominent.
The Bread Famine and the Pawnbroker, Brothers Lesueur (18th century)
After the brief shock of food insecurity in the form of empty supermarket shelves, we might start thinking about having a Plan B and C based on local food sources and shorter supply chains.
Migrant workers from Mexico maintain social distancing as they wait to be transported to Québec farms after arriving in April at Trudeau Airport in Montréal.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz
The demands of social distancing during the coronavirus pandemic will make it increasingly difficult for migrant agricultural workers to meet their basic needs.
A Pennsylvania dairy farmer watches 5,500 gallons of milk swirl down the drain.
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It’s not as easy as you might think to divert food intended for schools and restaurants and send it to grocery stores or even food banks.
Affordable and plentiful fruit and veg will come at the price of violating the strict national lockdowns in Bulgaria and Romania.
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Chartering flights during travel bans and national lockdowns is a dangerous reminder of how exploitative labour overrides political and public health responsibility.
The poorest urban dwellers can spend up to 60% of their income on food.
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Africa’s industries are not growing at the same pace as its cities, leaving the informal economy as the main source of income for many. COVID-19 lockdowns have cut this umbilical cord.