As Food Supply Chains Fail, Small Businesses Step Up to Fill in the Gaps

[Created4]

As Food Supply Chains Fail, Small Businesses Step Up to Fill in the Gaps – Time to Restructure the Nation’s Food Security?

Earlier this month (April, 2020) we reported about the shortages of meats at supermarkets, and how this reflected not a shortage of meat in the U.S., but the failures of our supply chains when a nation-wide crisis hits, such as the Coronavirus scare has done.

We discussed how allowing local communities to directly access meat from farmers and ranchers in their own counties and states was the solution to food security issues in our nation’s meat supplies.

See:

Is Wyoming’s Food Freedom Act with Farm to Consumer Direct Sales a Model for Food Security for the Rest of the U.S.?

The publication Civil Eats has done an excellent job of reporting on these kinds of problems that are systemic within our nation’s food supply chains.

In another excellent investigative report on flour shortages that many are starting to see around the country, Amy Halloran has written an excellent article titled:

Flour Shortage? Amber Waves of Regional Grains to the Rescue: A grain and flour expert enthusiast says the local flour revolution is tastier, healthier, and has created more robust markets.

Again, as we saw with the meat market, there is currently no shortage of flour in our nation. The issue is the frail supply chain.

Some excerpts from Halloran’s excellent article:

There is no flour shortage in America.

Outside the taut supply chains of industrialized food, small flour mills are working double-time to fill fresh flour orders for dedicated fans and a new crowd of bakers. And while these local millers have been around for generations, it took a pandemic to reveal them as alternatives to the dominant grain system. Today, having a relationship with nearby grain farmers seems like a more secure route to bread than it was just a month ago.

Industrial milling and factory baking set the standards for what gets grown, and the global marketplace sets the price. Farmers are servants to massive debts they’ve had to take on to purchase equipment, and each year they borrow more money just to pay for inputs, labor, and other expenses.

Outside of this industrial baking complex, there exists a world of farmer-cultivated grain systems that not only address the limited choices farmers face inside the conventional system, but also produce delicious, fresh flour, which is generally stoneground and full of the fat and flavor that industrial processing strips away. And it is as different from its supermarket cousin as a tree-ripened peach is from a can of cling peaches.

People who are just awakening to the promise of regional grains will be surprised to see just how many exist, how well-rooted they are—and how they’re ready to supply you with grains that will change your life.

There are many community grains, produced, processed, and distributed within local and regional value chains that remain intact despite the pandemic.

By adapting food systems to a regional scale, farmer-leaders…. are taking risks to better support and care for the land they steward from the ground to the bank. They’re giving consumers an opportunity to buy staple crops that invest in soil health, water quality, and carbon sequestration while offering skilled jobs that employ local folks—on the farm, at the mill, and in craft bakeries.

When Restaurants Become Grocery Stores

In yet another excellent article published by Civil Eats, Jodi Helmer wrote a report titled:

Restaurants Are Transforming into Grocery Stores to Survive the Pandemic: Selling sought-after eggs, flour, and toilet paper directly to consumers has provided an ‘emergency transfusion’ for restaurants

In our article about Wyoming’s Food Freedom Act and the nation’s meat supply issues, we mentioned how the closing of restaurants and other venues that serve food, such as sporting and entertainment events, was what was putting a strain on the meat market supplies.

With the entire nation confined to their homes and unable to visit restaurants and other venues where food is served, this in turn created a huge demand for more food at grocery stores, while bulk food distributors were left with an excess of inventory that was not packaged properly for retail sales.

Helmer’s article documents how some restaurants have dealt with this situation while solving two problems at once: providing more business for their restaurant so they could stay in business, and providing much needed items to their consumers that they could not find in their local grocery stores, such as eggs, flour, and toilet paper.

Some excerpts from Helmer’s excellent article:

A few short weeks ago, Sarah Heard was cooking dishes like charred duroc pork, veal sweetbreads, and butternut risotto and serving them in the Austin, Texas, restaurant Foreign & Domestic.

Now, the dining room is closed, and instead of serving nose-to-tail suppers, chef/owner Heard is filling bags with groceries. In the last two weeks, she has stocked (and sold out of) staples such as eggs, salt, and lemons; customers purchased 100 pounds of flour in a single afternoon. The coronavirus pandemic has led Foreign & Domestic to evolve from a full-service restaurant into a grocery store.

“We knew that people were having trouble finding things at the stores,” Heard recalls. “We thought it could help the neighborhood—and it’s possibly the only reason we’re staying afloat.”

The pandemic dealt a significant blow to restaurants. The latest data from the U.S. Department of Labor shows that the U.S. lost a total of 701,000 jobs in March; restaurants and bars accounted for 60 percent of those losses.

The devastation had forced restaurants to get creative to keep their doors open. In addition to offering takeout and deliveries, steakhouses are being reinvented as butcher shops, upscale eateries are hosting virtual cocktail classes, and chefs are creating DIY meal kits.

Turning dining rooms into supermarkets is also proving popular.

How Do We Change the Nation’s Food Supply Chains?

Food security is a serious issue in this country, and the Coronavirus scare should be a wake-up call for everyone. As far as the food shortages in our grocery stores, this might get worse before it gets better.

And remember, this is all simply the result of people staying home. Imagine how much worse this could be if there were disruptions to our energy sector, and our truckers who transport all this food all across the nation could not get diesel fuel to power their trucks?

Or a disruption to our electrical grid where all of stored refrigerated and frozen foods would quickly spoil? Or even worse scenarios where communication systems went down, such as cell phones and the Internet, and without the ability to communicate to the public things would quickly spin out of control into rioting and looting.

What is the answer to the food security issue?

Those who have followed our reporting on this issue for the past decade or so will know that my position is that government is NOT the solution, but the problem.

Government food policies are what have created the fragile system we have created, with their cheap subsidized commodity food systems along with their fragile supply chains that are so easily disrupted.

No, the answer to food security lies in YOU, the American consumer. Small businesses all across the country, like many of those featured in the articles reported by Civil Eats, are happy to step in and fill in the gaps. They don’t need, and I am sure most do not want, government subsidies to fuel their businesses.

They need you, the American consumer, to start changing their buying habits, and start supporting local businesses.

We need a return to the “old fashion” way of conducting business, where there is a town butcher, a town baker, local grain mills, and local dairy farms and other kinds of farms producing and selling meats, produce, dairy, and other food staples to the consumer directly through local businesses.

Those in the metropolitan areas need to find like-minded neighbors and fellow city residents to band together and form co-ops and buying clubs to support farmers that may be located further out in the rural areas, to more efficiently bring that food from the farm to the tables of those in the cities.

When this country was founded in the 1700s, 90% of the population was involved in agriculture. When the Civil War started under President Lincoln, it was about 50% of the population in agriculture feeding the other 50%.

Today it is less than 1% of the population feeding the other 99%, and just a handful of companies controlling the nation’s food supply.

There is only one way we are going to see more food security in our nation, and it begins with the American consumer, and the consumer’s willingness to sacrifice “convenience” to have one-stop shopping centers that offer everything at cheaper prices (and almost always also cheaper quality food) due to government subsidies.

Will it happen? Will this be enough of a wake-up call to get even 10 percent of the nation’s population to change their buying habits? Because that is probably all it will take to turn the tide and start things rolling in the right direction.

But if everyone sits around and waits for the government to provide solutions, we can see what their history is. They will decide who to bail out and who not to bail out, and they will decide who wins and who loses. And we all know how that turns out.

If government truly wants to help bring food security to our nation’s food supply chains, then the best thing they can do is REMOVE barriers that prevent direct farm-to-consumer sales, such as the Wyoming Food Freedom Act that we highlighted earlier this month, and then get out of the way and let consumers and small businesses flourish in this nation once again.

As long as we still have a vestige of a free society left, the American consumer is still the most powerful force to change our food security problem in the U.S.

 

[fedupinmo]

I would welcome the return of the local butcher, beholding to the people they serve... might start getting decent cuts again.

 

[tod evans]

We discussed how allowing local communities to directly access meat from farmers and ranchers in their own counties and states was the solution to food security issues in our nation’s meat supplies.

Local communities have always had access, simply buy a beef and have it sent to the processor, pay their fee and pick up your beef.

What people want is fancy labels and small packages that aren't worth the farmers time.

Develop a relationship with a local farmer and meat processor, be friendly and fair and don't act like an idiot and life will be much easier and lots less costly.

If you don't want to or can't store a whole animal find friends or neighbors to split one with you.........Or continue to buy government certified, government taxed and government approved meat.....

 

[Warrior_of_Freedom]

Unless you're eating toilet paper I don't see how you can go to a supermarket and not find food. God forbid you should buy the whole milk instead of the 2%.

 

[Created4]

Local communities have always had access, simply buy a beef and have it sent to the processor, pay their fee and pick up your beef.

Depends where you live. This is not available everywhere, and there is a severe shortage of small-scale local meat processors in most states, if they exist at all.

What is lacking today are farmers being able to process the animals right on the farm. Most Amish still know how to do it, but few others.

 

[Created4]

Unless you're eating toilet paper I don't see how you can go to a supermarket and not find food. God forbid you should buy the whole milk instead of the 2%.

You won't find "whole milk" at a grocery store. They call "whole milk" processed milk that has 4% of the fat put back into it.

If you want truly "whole milk" you have to buy it from a farmer fresh from the cow. A Jersey cow will produce about 30% or more fat with the milk. It will look something like this:

This is non-homogenized, of course, where the cream separates. You won't find that at grocery stores either....

 

[acptulsa]

...while bulk food distributors were left with an excess of inventory that was not packaged properly for retail sales.

In other words, this is a problem government created. And government would rather let people starve than relax their onerous regulations.

We discussed how allowing local communities to directly access meat from farmers and ranchers in their own counties and states was the solution to food security issues in our nation’s meat supplies.

As if New York State and Joisey can feed Manhattan without Iowa's help.

 

[Created4]

As if New York State and Joisey can feed Manhattan without Iowa's help.

Iowa?? Upstate New York, Vermont, and Maine are much closer and more than capable to feed the upper Northwest, as are the Eastern states to the South of New York, like the Carolinas.

There will always be food commerce and trade, as no one region can produce everything. And certain foods Americans are used to still need to be imported because they don't grow here, such as coffee beans, cocoa beans (to make chocolate), bananas, coconuts, etc.

What's ridiculous is that the government makes it nearly impossible to buy food direct from the farm, no matter where you live.

 

[acptulsa]

Iowa??

That's what I said. But I was responding to the article's suggestion that people should look within their own county or state.

How many people can Bronx County feed, ya figure?

What's ridiculous is that the government makes it nearly impossible to buy food direct from the farm, no matter where you live.

They're certainly trying. But they know better than to come to Oklahoma and try that.

 

[tod evans]

Depends where you live. This is not available everywhere, and there is a severe shortage of small-scale local meat processors in most states, if they exist at all.

What is lacking today are farmers being able to process the animals right on the farm. Most Amish still know how to do it, but few others.

Processing plants are cost effective, that's why farmers use them.

A large percentage of deer hunters use them too for the same reason.

Most states do in fact have many independent meat processors but you don't "buy meat" from them. You must buy the live animal and pay the processor to slaughter it and cut and package it to your specifications and then flash freeze it.

The Amish up in the Northern part of the Ozarks will generally have the local processor process their meat because they're so much better at it, faster/cleaner and packaged for long term storage and all for minimal cost, often barter...

The areas of the US that don't have access to farmers and processing plants are the big cities, and quite frankly I could care less if they collectively starve or eat eachother..

 

[Created4]

They're certainly trying. But they know better than to come to Oklahoma and try that.

Last I checked Oklahoma is still part of the U.S. and ruled by FDA, USDA, and other laws regarding the sale of food.

For example:

Because of potential health risks associated with raw milk, the retail sale of raw milk is illegal in most states, including Oklahoma.

Source.

They allow for "incidental sales" of raw milk on the farm only, and even then you need a permit from the State if you sell too much to compete with the dairy industry.

Permits are not required to make incidental sales of raw cows’ milk at the farm, but farmers making more than a defined quantity of incidental sales must have a Milk Plant Permit (see Figure 1). Additionally, farmers cannot publicly advertise the sale of raw cows’ milk.

 

[Created4]

Processing plants are cost effective, that's why farmers use them.

A large percentage of deer hunters use them too for the same reason.

Most states do in fact have many independent meat processors but you don't "buy meat" from them. You must buy the live animal and pay the processor to slaughter it and cut and package it to your specifications and then flash freeze it.

The Amish up in the Northern part of the Ozarks will generally have the local processor process their meat because they're so much better at it, faster/cleaner and packaged for long term storage and all for minimal cost, often barter...

The areas of the US that don't have access to farmers and processing plants are the big cities, and quite frankly I could care less if they collectively starve or eat eachother..

Not entirely true at all. Try to find a poultry processing plant, for example, especially in the South where Tyson, Purdue, et. al. control the poultry market. And I'm talking about the rural areas, not the cities.

Many small scale processing plants go out of business, and if enough of the population decided they wanted to start buying direct from the farm, there is no way there is enough processing plants in this country. And that is especially true for poultry.

The Amish I work with in the Midwest will use processing plants for beef, but not for poultry, unless they want to ship it across State lines, because then you need a USDA inspector. But for local sales, they process their chicken and turkeys on the farm.

The money for the few processing plants that have survived is in red meat, cattle and deer during deer hunting season. And even then, during the fall, it can take many weeks to get an opening at a processing plant to process your cattle sometimes.

But poultry is messy, and most of the operations I knew of 10 years ago are now all out of business.

 

[tod evans]

Last I checked Oklahoma is still part of the U.S. and ruled by FDA, USDA, and other laws regarding the sale of food.

For example:



Source.

They allow for "incidental sales" of raw milk on the farm only, and even then you need a permit from the State if you sell too much to compete with the dairy industry.

Big dairy is a monster!

But............Due to scale big dairy is what most Americans are willing to pay for.

Most dairy farmers can't sell their whole milk in large enough quantities to individuals to cover their overhead, it's more profitable to have big dairy's semi show up twice a day and empty the tank.

The market for $9.00 gal milk is very niche and only a select few are willing to pay that, even fewer are willing to buy a cow and milk it...

I hear of yuppie markets charging $10.00lb for chicken that's fed GMO free, sustainably harvested feed spoon fed by virgins and slaughtered withing feet of their airconditioned roost but most people just won't pay for that. Certainly not enough to create a market for them at that price.

Anyway.........I'll agree that like most things in life government doesn't belong in domestic food issues in any capacity at all. I can see some involvement in imported foodstuffs though but with that involvement must come liability.

 

[tod evans]

Not entirely true at all. Try to find a poultry processing plant, for example, especially in the South where Tyson, Purdue, et. al. control the poultry market. And I'm talking about the rural areas, not the cities.

Many small scale processing plants go out of business, and if enough of the population decided they wanted to start buying direct from the farm, there is no way there is enough processing plants in this country. And that is especially true for poultry.

The Amish I work with in the Midwest will use processing plants for beef, but not for poultry, unless they want to ship it across State lines, because then you need a USDA inspector. But for local sales, they process their chicken and turkeys on the farm.

The money for the few processing plants that have survived is in red meat, cattle and deer during deer hunting season. And even then, during the fall, it can take many weeks to get an opening at a processing plant to process your cattle sometimes.

But poultry is messy, and most of the operations I knew of 10 years ago are now all out of business.

I eat very little poultry, most people I know eat very little. But you're right big-ag is heavy into the poultry game including farming the feed..

Grow your own chickens if you like chickens or eggs, I buy eggs from the neighbor, same price WalMart sells em for..I'll chip in every couple of years for chicks to replace old layers.

Personally I'd like to see people stop eating poultry all together, the big barns and the "laborers" in them are a scourge on many rural communities and the poultry processing plants are worse.

[edit]

P.S. there's a reason it's called "fowl"....(foul)

 

[tod evans]

While I'm typing.....

Big cities have brought us big dairy and big-ag as well as all of the associated government.

Rural America has bucked and fought against all of them my whole life.

 

[acptulsa]

 

[Created4]

The market for $9.00 gal milk is very niche and only a select few are willing to pay that, even fewer are willing to buy a cow and milk it...
.

Of course, but that is the whole purpose of this article. To take advantage of the obvious problems with Big Ag and their inferior distribution system to see if we can educate a few more people sitting at home doing nothing.

The U.S. spends the least amount of their income on food than any other country of the world. And we can thank farm subsidies and cheap food for that.

When this country was founded in the 1700s, 90% of the population was involved in agriculture. When the Civil War started under President Lincoln, it was about 50% of the population in agriculture feeding the other 50%.

Today it is less than 1% of the population feeding the other 99%, and just a handful of companies controlling the nation’s food supply.

There is only one way we are going to see more food security in our nation, and it begins with the American consumer, and the consumer’s willingness to sacrifice “convenience” to have one-stop shopping centers that offer everything at cheaper prices (and almost always also cheaper quality food) due to government subsidies.

Will it happen? Will this be enough of a wake-up call to get even 10 percent of the nation’s population to change their buying habits? Because that is probably all it will take to turn the tide and start things rolling in the right direction.

This is a true statement. And in some states the Raw Milk market is strong, very strong. It is one of the success stories.

The other example of just a small percentage of consumers changing the market is butter. Enough consumers said they want their butter and not the fake margarine, and butter came back in vogue.

 

[Created4]

 

[Created4]

Personally I'd like to see people stop eating poultry all together, the big barns and the "laborers" in them are a scourge on many rural communities and the poultry processing plants are worse.)

I hear you!

But there is a trend in this country that has been popular for over a decade here of small-scale "pastured poultry." Joel Salatin made it popular in the Northwest.

That is the only way chicken should be produced. Outdoors, in either movable pens, or electric fences that also move as the birds eat up the pasture.

But the problem is that Americans are used to cheap chicken, and again, it is only the few that will pay a premium price for a bird raised on pasture and clean feed.

And even then, those are still cornish cross chickens not bred for pasture, but for confinement feeding. You need to finish them out in about 9 weeks on pasture (in pens in huge warehouses they can grow out in about 7 weeks), and then their legs give out.

Several years back a bunch of farmers in the Midwest tried to start growing a more heritage bird that would grow out in about 13 weeks, eating about the same amount of feed but more natural foragers, but they cost even more to the consumer, and the consumer is addicted to the taste of Cornish Crosses and tend to not like the more "gamey" taste of heritage birds.

Before commercial chicken operations started, chickens were the most expensive dinners, because generally the farmer's wife grew raised them on farm scraps, and they were rare.

 

[Ender]

You won't find "whole milk" at a grocery store. They call "whole milk" processed milk that has 4% of the fat put back into it.

If you want truly "whole milk" you have to buy it from a farmer fresh from the cow. A Jersey cow will produce about 30% or more fat with the milk. It will look something like this:

This is non-homogenized, of course, where the cream separates. You won't find that at grocery stores either....

Love real whole milk!

We used to buy it in Nebraska & we'd shake a jar of milk- while we watched a movie- & it would separate the cream & milk. Then we'd have our own homemade butter!