What You Need To Know About The 2022 Meat Shortage (2024)

FAQs

What You Need To Know About The 2022 Meat Shortage? ›

Meat, in particular, is facing a unique set of supply chain challenges. In addition to labor shortages, a reduction in the availability of packaging materials, such as aluminum and plastic, is impacting the distribution of meat (per Eat This).

The closure of meat processing plants due to outbreaks or even potential outbreaks of COVID-19 among workers caused a major slowdown in production, leading to supply chain disruptions. The pandemic has also led to a decrease in the total herd size since farmers were selling cows earlier than they usually would.

In 2022, the world experienced significant food price inflation along with major food shortages in several regions.

Agricultural economists blame it on an ongoing drought, along with high feed costs and inflation. Others report high prices are due to ranchers having fewer cattle.

A shortage of food may happen when not enough food is produced, such as when crops fail due to drought, pests, or too much moisture. But the problem can also result from the uneven distribution of natural resource endowment for a country, and by human institutions, such as government and public policy, he said.

If you have the space, experts recommend a week's supply of food and water. Choose foods that don't require refrigeration and are not high in salt. Your stockpile should also contain flashlights, a radio, manual can opener, batteries and copies of important documents.

Sanitarium Muesli, Granola, Light 'n' Tasty, Honey Puffs, Weeties, Weet-Bix Clusters, Cluster Crisp and Puffed Wheat will all be discontinued by June 2025. The company is planning to streamline its product ranges to focus on its Weet-Bix, Weet-Bix Bites and UP&GO brands.

What if we run out of food? ›

Besides the obvious problems of famine itself, the shortage of food is also likely to cause other problems such as conflict, mass migration, and even war. In the future, wars are likely to be fought over access to food and water resources. “the next world wars could be fought over resources like food and water”.

Good food choices are dried fruit; canned fruit or vegetables; shelf-stable cans of meat, poultry, and fish; jars of peanut butter and jelly; small packages of cereal, granola bars, and crackers; nonfat dry milk; and small boxes of juice drinks.

The United States has imported the most beef so far in 2021 from Canada followed by Mexico and New Zealand. The United States has imported beef from 16 different countries so far in 2021. U.S. beef imports from Canada are up 8% so far in 2021. U.S. beef imports from Australia are down 54% so far in 2021.

Meat, in particular, is facing a unique set of supply chain challenges. In addition to labor shortages, a reduction in the availability of packaging materials, such as aluminum and plastic, is impacting the distribution of meat (per Eat This).

Beef Supply Chain Constraints

Unfortunately for beef manufacturers supply is declining and is expected to be 56 pounds per capita in 2024, 1.9% lower than 2023. This is due to the contraction of beef heards, ongoing drought, higher producer input costs, supply chain issues, and more.

Meat, in particular, is facing a unique set of supply chain challenges. In addition to labor shortages, a reduction in the availability of packaging materials, such as aluminum and plastic, is impacting the distribution of meat (per Eat This).

Global demand for meat is growing: over the past 50 years, meat production has more than tripled. The world now produces more than 350 million tonnes each year. However, the production of meat has large environmental impacts – increasing greenhouse gas emissions, agricultural land, and freshwater use.

The beef cattle herd in the U.S. is expected to drop again in 2024. However, a low in cattle inventory is not expected until the latter half of 2024, or more likely in 2025. While margins have improved in 2023, profits have not reached levels that incentivize significant herd rebuilding efforts.

The fact that pet food ingredients have climbed in price up to 20% since the pandemic began means many pet food brands just haven't been able to secure enough of the ingredients they need to make their food. In 2021, prices for U.S. corn and soybeans — key ingredients in many pet foods — reached eight-year highs.