It appears that the shortage of everything is happening across America, and even here in Canada

BY SIMONE J. SMITH

Ice cream, styrofoam cups, Tequila, agave; these are a few items that we are going to see less and less this summer.

During the summer months, supply and demand problems become more acute, which means that many other items are also at risk of vanishing from sight.

It appears that the shortage of everything is happening across America, and even here in Canada. Retailers left and right are facing empty shelves, and consumers are being forced to pay more for the items they need as demand continues to exceed supply. Conditions are getting so extreme that you may not find some summer favorites like ice cream, tequila, burgers and beer at your local supermarket in the coming months.

Let’s take a look at some of the other items that you might notice missing on shelves in the upcoming months.

Meat
The U.S. cattle herd is declining in a scenario that will not reverse until late 2023. The drought-like conditions in the U.S. Plains may lead to more cowherd liquidation. There are concerns that inflation is weighing on beef demand. No doubt, such concerns are warranted, in fact, in the year ahead, a shortage of red meat, beef and pork will be a headline grabber. Yes, a shortage of beef and pork appears likely.

Farm-grown fruits and vegetables
Farm-grown fruits and vegetables were some of the biggest victims of the fertilizer shortage that erupted during the pandemic and exponentially worsened after the world lost two major producers (Russia and Ukraine) of NPK – which stands for nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, the three primary ingredients plants need to grow.

At the peak of the shortage, farmers were seeing fertilizer prices shooting up 700%, and that was right when planting season began. Consequently, many small producers that could not afford the rise in costs started abandoning their less profitable crops.

Batteries
Batteries have been in short supply for quite some time now. The global production of steel, zinc, manganese, potassium, and graphite – all components that make the alkaline batteries we find at our local stores is still going down in 2023. The situation doesn’t look any better for lithium, or even solar-powered batteries given that demand is significantly outstripping supply worldwide. On top of that, the cost of producing batteries went up by 156% since 2020, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

This means that not only are they getting harder to find, but prices are already climbing. Batteries are usually one of the first products to disappear during an emergency, so if your battery stash is running low, you should probably restock it now before inventories drop even further.

Mayonnaise
This is because eggs used to make mayonnaise are currently in short supply. In 2022-2023, egg prices doubled. Also, some farmers were even forced to kill their flocks because they could not afford to nourish them. Mayonnaise may become more costly or hard to find if egg prices keep increasing or the shortages worsen.

Chickpeas
In April 2023 there were reports of low yields for India’s 2023 Kabuli chickpea crop, the Global Pulse Confederation reported. Combined with low production in Mexico, global supplies are under increased pressure, meaning a shortage is expected over the next six months.

Honey
Since 2005, there has been a lot written about the challenges honeybees face with the so-called “Colony Collapse Disorder.” This year beekeepers are experiencing much higher-than-normal winter losses and there is an acute shortage of bees. Even some very good beekeepers report losses of more than double what they typically experience. There are reports of beekeepers experiencing losses in the 80-90% in some of their overwintered bee yards.

Don’t wait until everyone starts rushing to the stores to get the supplies you need because by then it may be far too late. Make sure you store your products properly.

Pay attention to empty shelves the next time you go grocery shopping, so that you know which shortage is getting worse, and which products to purchase before things get even more complicated.