CAROL, THANK YOU FOR WHAT YOU’RE DOING, THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME
TONIGHT.
TONIGHT. >> THANK YOU.
>>> IN OTHER NEWS TONIGHT, WE
ARE SEEING SIGNS THAT THE
COUNTRY, THE FOOD SUPPLY HANE IS
UNDER SIGNIFICANT STRESS.
HERE ARE TWO SCENES.
THESE ARE THE ENORMOUS LINES FOR
THE L.A. REGIONAL FOOD BANK OVER
THE WEEKEND WITH CARS STRETCHING
FOR MILES.
FOR MILES. WE’VE SEEN THIS KIND OF SCENE
PLAY OUT ALL OVER THE COUNTRY.
PEOPLE ARE DESPERATE FOR FOOD.
HAVING TROUBLE FEEDING THEIR
FAMILIES, THEIR KIDS
PARTICULARLY AND ANOTHER SCENE,
THIS IS WHAT SOME DAIRY FARMERS
ARE DOING, DUMPING OUT THOUSANDS
OF FWLONS
OF FWLONS GALLONS OF FRESH MILK EVERY DAY,
OTHER FARMERS ARE DESTROYING
CROPS OUTRIGHT, PLOWING RIPE
VEGETABLES INTO THE GROUND
BECAUSE RESTAURANTS AND SCHOOLS
ARE CLOSED AND FARMERS PART OF
THE COMMERCIAL FOOD SUPPLY
EXCHANGE DON’T HAVE PLACES TO
SELL THEIR PRODUCTS AND THE
FRONT LINE WORKERS THOSE KEEPING
THE FOOD CHAIN WORKING, THEY’RE
AT TREMENDOUS WORK, STILL IN THE
FIELDS PICKING PRODUCE, WITH
MINIMAL TO NO PROTECTION,
WITHOUT PAPERS AND IN THE PORK
PROCESSING PLANT, PEOPLE WORKING
THERE HAVE TO WORK SHOULDER TO
SHOULDER, AND YESTERDAY, ONE OF
THE LARGEST PLANTS IN THE
COUNTRY IN SOUTH DAKOTA SHUT
DOWN INDEFINITELY AFTER NEARLY
300 CASES TESTED POSITIVE FOR
KOINZ. CORONAVIRUS.
KOINZ. CORONAVIRUS. THAT IS NEARLY A THIRD OF THE
CASES IN THE ENTIRE STATE.
THE FOOD SUPPLY CHAIN IS
SOMETHING WE TEND TO TAKE FOR
GRANTED, WE GO TO A RESTAURANT
OR A GROCERY STORE AND THE FOOD
IS JUST THERE BUT THIS VIRUS IS
PUTTING STRESS ON IT FROM EVERY
ANGLE.
ANGLE. LAST WEEK WE BROUGHT AN
INTERESTING STORY ABOUT THE
TOILET PAPER SUPPLY AND THAT
REPORTING SHOWED THAT THE REASON
THERE IS A SHORTAGE OFTOILET PAP
AT STORES, THERE ARE TWO MARKETS
IN THE INDUSTRY, A COMMERCIAL
AND CONSUMER ONE.
AND EVERYONE IS USING THE
CONSUMER ONE, AND THE ONE THAT
IS COMMERCIAL, IT CANNOT BE MADE
AVAILABLE FOR RESIDENTIAL USE.
GUESS WHAT?
GUESS WHAT? IT TURNS OUT THE FOOD SUPPLY
CHAIN IS STRUCTURED IN A SIMILAR
WAY.
WAY. GROCERY STORES ARE HAVING A HARD
TIME KEEPING THINGS IN STOCK,
THERE IS AN ENTIRE FOOD CHAIN
DESIGNED TO SELL BULK FOOD TO
FAST FOOD STORES AND
RESTAURANTS, THAT IS ESSENTIALLY
BEING LEFT TO ROT.
THAT IS BECAUSE THE SUPPLY CHAIN
AS ONE DAIRY INDUSTRY ADVOCATE
EXPLAINS, IT IS TOUGH TO JUST
SWITCH AROUND.
SWITCH AROUND. >> OFTEN TIME, THE PACKAGING AND
THE SIZE OF THE PRODUCT THAT’S
DELIVERED TO GROCERY STORES OR
DISTRIBUTED THROUGH THOSE
AVENUES, OF FOOD SERVICE, ARE
MUCH LARGER AND NOT NECESSARILY
FOR FAMILY USE.
>> THIS WEEKEND, "THE WALL
STREET JOURNAL"’SING A CULL URAL
REPORTER JESSY NEWMAN WROTE
ABOUT CORONAVIRUS’S IMPACT ON
OUR FOOD SUPPLY CHAIN.
SPECIFICALLY, WHY FARMERS ARE
DUMPING MILK, AND BREAKING EGGS
IN A MIDDLE OF A PANDEMIC.
JESSY NEWMAN JOINS ME NOW.
AND YOU HAVE BEEN DOING GREAT
REPORTING ON THIS AND I HAVE
BEEN FOLLOWING AVIDLY.
TALK TO ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT
THIS CONUNDRUM HERE, THE PARADOX
OF TWO SUPPLY CHAINS AND THE
FACT THAT ONE OF THEM IS SO, IN
SORT OF DISUSE AT THIS STRANGE
MOMENT, THAT THERE IS TONS OF
FOOD PRODUCED WITH NOWHERE TO
GO.
GO. >> YES, THANKS.
IT’S A REALLY STRANGE SITUATION
THAT FARMERS AND FOOD PRODUCERS
FIND THEMSELVES IN.
IN THE PAST FEW MONTHS, SINCE
ALL OF THIS BEGAN, WE’VE SEEN
JUST MASSIVE UPHEAVAL IN THE
FOOD SUPPLY CHAIN, AND AT THE
BEGINNING, WE SAW CONSUMERS
FLOCKING TO GROCERY STORES, AND
CLEARING SHELVES OF JUST ABOUT
EVERY PRODUCT, IN ANTICIPATION
OF WEEKS AND MONTHS AT HOME AND
SO WE STARTED LOOKING AT, WELL,
WHAT IS THE STRENGTH OF THE FOOD
SUPPLY CHAIN.
SUPPLY CHAIN. AND EARLY ON, WE LEARNED THAT
THERE WAS PLENTY OF FOOD IN THE
COUNTRY, SO OUR COLD STORAGE
WAREHOUSES WERE FULL OF PRODUCTS
LIKE CHICKEN AND PORK, AND THERE
WAS PLENTY OF FRESH PRODUCE ON
FARMS, AND ON ORCHARDS, AND
PLENTY OF GRAIN IN GRAIN BINS,
BUT IT’S BECOME CLEAR OVER TIME
THAT THOSE HUGE, THE HUGE SHIFT
WAS NECESSARY, WAS NEEDING TO
TAKE PLACE IN ORDER TO GET THAT
FOOD TO CONSUMER, SO AS
RESTAURANTS CLOSED, AND SCHOOL
CAFETERIAS, ALL OF THAT FOOD
THAT WAS DESTINED FOR THOSE
OUTLETS NEEDED TO BE SHIFTED TO
GROCERY STORE, AND AS IT TURNS
OUT, THAT’S TOUGH TO DO.
>> RIGHT, SO YOU’VE GOT THIS
SITUATION WHERE THE FOOD IS
THERE BUT THEY DON’T HAVE THE
RELATIONSHIP, THE DISTRIBUTORS,
THE NETWORKS, THAT ARE SORT OF
PRE-ESTABLISHED TO GET THEM INTO
MAJOR GROCERY CHAINS, SO YOU’VE
GOT THAT SORT OF PART OF IT
WILTING, AND ARE THE, IS THE
GROCERY AVENUE ABLE TO KEEP UP
RIGHT NOW?
RIGHT NOW? I MEAN IS THE SORT OF
RESIDENTIAL HOUSEHOLD USE, FOOD
SUPPLY CHAIN FUNCTIONING
ESSENTIALLY?
ESSENTIALLY? >> SO GROCERIES LIKE EVERYONE IN
THE FOOD SUPPLY CHAIN ARE
SCRAMBLING TO KEEP UP.
AND THE CHALLENGE REALLY IS
CONVERTING SOME OF THESE
PRODUCTS FROM RESTAURANTS, INTO
THE GROCERY CHAIN, SO FOR
EXAMPLE, WE WROTE ABOUT DAIRIES
DUMPING MILK AND CHICKEN
COMPANIES THAT ARE BREAKING
EGGS, THAT ARE GROWING CHICKENS,
FOR MEAT, AND THERE’S JUST TOO
MUCH FOOD THAT CAN’T MAKE IT
INTO THE GROCERY CHANNEL, AS YOU
SAY, BECAUSE THOSE, SOME OF
THOSE RELATIONSHIPS DON’T EXIST,
AND IT IS ALSO A QUESTION OF
VARIETIES OF FOOD, AND
PACKAGING, AND SIZES, AND SO FOR
EXAMPLE, THE VEGETABLE PRODUCER
TOLD ME THAT THEY’VE GOT ALL OF
THIS CONVENTIONAL SPINACH THAT
THEY GROW FOR USE IN
RESTAURANTS.
RESTAURANTS. WELL, AS IT TURNS OUT, SHOPPERS
MOSTLY PREFER OERNG SPINACH.
AND SO THERE JUST ISN’T A HOME
FOR VAST QUANTITIES OF THE
CONVENTIONAL SPINACH THAT THEY
GROW.
GROW. AND IN THE CASE OF DAIRY, A GOOD
EXAMPLE IS CHEESE.
SO ON A DAIRY FARM, WHICH
PRODUCES MILLIONS OF GALLONS OF
MILK, A LOT OF THAT GOES INTO
CHEESE PRODUCTION.
CHEESE PRODUCTION. AND CHEESE MAKERS ARE MAKING
HUGE PACKAGES OF SHREDDED CHEESE
THAT ARE BOUND FOR PIZZA CHAINS,
MOZZARELLA CHAIN GOING ON TOP OF
PIZZAS, AND EASILY CONVERTED,
NOT EASILY CONVERTED INTO A
SMALL EIGHT OUNCE DIP ZIPPERED
BAG THAT A CONSUMER LIKES TO BUY
AT A GROCERY STORE.
IT TAKES COSTLY EQUIPMENT AND
VERY COSTLY TO SHIFT ON A DIME.
>> THE FINAL QUESTION HAS TO DO
WITH THE WORKERS THAT ARE PART
OF THIS ENTIRE CHAIN.
THESE ARE PEOPLE THAT ARE
ESSENTIAL SERVICE, WHETHER IT’S
THE GROCERY PERSON, OR A FARM
WORKER, PICKING FRUIT OR THOSE
FOLKS WE’VE SEEN IN PORK
PROCESSING PLANTS, I MEAN THESE
ARE ALL PEOPLE WHO ARE BOTH
NEEDED BUT ALSO REALLY EXPOSED
RIGHT NOW, AS THE STORY OUT OF
SOUTH DAKOTA SHOWS.
>> THAT’S RIGHT.
THE FARM WORKERS HAVE BEEN
DEEMED ESSENTIAL WORKERS, THEY
ARE STILL BEING ENCOURAGED TO GO
TO WORK, AND PICK OUR FRESH
FRUIT AND VEGETABLES, OR IN THE
CASE OF MEAT PROCESSING PLANTS,
WORKERS, YOU KNOW, WE NEED THOSE
WORKERS, TO PRODUCE THE PRODUCTS
THAT WE ALL ENJOY.
AND YET, THEY, FARM WORKERS AND
THEIR ADVOCATES ARE QUITE
CONCERNED ABOUT THE RISKS THAT
THEY FACE.
THEY FACE. A LOT OF WORKERS, AS YOU
MENTIONED ARE UNDOCUMENTED.
SOME ARE HERE ON SEASONAL GUEST
WORKER VISAS.
WORKER VISAS. AND THEIR EMPLOYMENT IS TIED TO
A PARTICULAR EMPLOYER AND THERE
ARE CONDITIONS THAT PERSIST IN
THIS PARTICULAR INDUSTRY THAT IS
CONCERNING, WHETHER IT IS
OVERCROWDED HOUSING, AND THESE
WORKERS ARE TRANSPORTED TO
FIELDS, DOZENS OF WORKERS IN A
BUS AND WORK IN PROXIMITY TO
EACH OTHER AND THERE IS CONCERN
ABOUT THEIR HEALTH AND SAFETY.
>> JESSA NEWMAN HAS BEEN DOING