food market closures loom amid labour
Employee absenteeism due to workers calling in sick and COVID 19 protocols has hit about 30 per cent at some stores and is ongoing to rise, Gary glass beads, Senior vice president of public policy with the Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers, Said sunday.
Without access to rapid testing in many provinces, He said personnel are repeatedly forced to isolate for a week or more after an exposure to COVID 19.
If the specific situation worsens, Some markets won't be able to stay open threatening food security in rural and remote areas that rely on a sole independent grocer, glass beads said.
"If we should instead keep sending people home, At a certain point stores will never be able to operate, he said. "We're very frustrated with the possible lack of rapid test kits for grocers,
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Health Canada has made some rapid test kits available straight to companies in critical sectors, like the food industry, With 200 or more workers.
But many independent grocery stores don't meet that threshold, Putting those kits unrealistic, glass beads said.
Yet many grocers cannot obtain rapid tests by means provinces either, he explained.
"Independent grocers are in a myriad of communities in this country where there is no other grocery store, glass beads said. "If those markets close, you have a food security issue,
subsequently, Stores are also fighting a shortage of goods stemming from supply chain issues, Including a shortage of truckers, Packaging and dealing delays and the Canadian winter.
Grocers rely on "Just on time" shipping and delivery, Meaning even transient issues like rainy weather can cause delays and shortages, Retail Council of Canada spokesperson Michelle Wasylyshen said.
going to remain, Empty shelves at some grocery stores should only be temporary, She suggested, Noting that retailers are exploring all avenues to get products to stores without delay but.
But some supply chain issues could be more durable, Such as the trucker shortage intensified by the federal national new vaccine mandate.
"The trouble with the truckers having to be vaccinated is causing some delays, Especially with the supply of fruit and veggies from California, glass beads said.
"Grocers in Central Canada are mostly reporting just delays of a couple of weeks, But in the West the shortages seem to be more useful,
at times, Sands said grocers are short nearly 40 per cent of their usual stock of assorted products.
"specifically in the West, Some grocers are saying the specific situation is as bad as it was in the spring of 2020 in terms of supply, he was quoted saying.
it isn't just the produce aisle that experiencing shortages. soups, Cereals and cleaning utility caddy are all running lower than normal, glass beads said.
Many shoppers have noticed empty shelves where Kellogg's cereal is usually stocked, as an example.
Kellogg Canada said in an emailed statement that higher at home consumption coupled with supply chain challenges have impacted the supply of some products in Canada, as well as Kellogg's Rice Krispies cereal.
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