Every single industry in the world
has been affected in some way by COVID-19.
Retail stores have been shut down.
Tourist sites have been closed.
Barbers are buying those Chia Heads
just to keep up their skills.
And one industry that needs to remain open
in order for us to survive is the food industry.
But now the virus is coming for that, too.
REPORTER: The food supply chain is breaking.
That's the warning in a full-page ad
from Tyson Foods released in The New York Times.
It comes after one of the country's
largest meat processors closed a massive pork processing plant
in Iowa because of a coronavirus outbreak.
REPORTER 2: A USA Today investigation found 150
of the nation's largest plants are in counties
where the infection rate is spiking,
threatening not only workers
but potentially the food supply.
REPORTER 3: This morning, with beef increasingly scarce,
President Trump promising to take action,
signing an executive order
under the Defense Production Act
to ensure processing plants stay open
and run at the maximum extent possible.
You know, I'll say this about Trump.
He is very clear about what his priorities are in life.
Because he was warned for months
about the pandemic coming to America,
and he did practically nothing.
But you tell the man once that there could be a beef shortage,
and he springs into action like the world's hungriest superhero.
(triumphant humming, sputters)
But that's Trump, man.
If there's one thing we know about him,
it's that he loves meat.
You know he must have been really disappointed
when he heard that meat loaf was gonna be on The Apprentice
and it turned out to be an actual man named Meat Loaf.
"Who the hell is this?
"I can't put gravy on this man!
I mean, I sure as hell will try."
But, yes, few places in America
have seen a higher rate of coronavirus cases
than meat processing plants.
And although there doesn't seem to be a danger
to the food itself,
in most of these facilities,
the workers are quite literally putting their lives on the line.
REPORTER: Processing plants can be a breeding ground
for the virus, because many workers
spend their day side by side.
You're not talking about 200 people.
You're talking about several thousand people.
REPORTER 2: One employee concealing their identity
for fear of retribution tells us plant managers
were asked why fewer employees were showing up,
adding the virus was rarely mentioned, if it all.
REPORTER 3: This notice for a $500 attendance bonus
enticed employees to keep working.
REPORTER 4: The union representing workers says
one month of requests for PPE were basically ignored.
Employees tell us workers were given hairnets
to use as face masks.
A hairnet?
Come on, people. That is some bullshit.
Workers were given hairnets to wear as face masks?
Hairnets can't stop the virus.
I don't even think hairnets can stop hair.
I've eaten school lunch.
And, you know, it's really sad
that these workers are being forced
to keep the food chain going
but nobody's being forced to protect them while they do it.
They need equipment to keep safe while doing their jobs.
And if you eat meat,
you especially should want these workers to be treated right.
Because without them, the only way you're getting bacon
is if you fight the pig yourself.
We all know how that's gonna end.
So, troubles at meat processing plants is one problem.
But there's also another problem
that's messing up the food supply chain right now,
and that's distribution.
Because, with everyone locked down and eating at home,
the food that used to go to restaurants and schools
has now got nowhere to go.
REPORTER: Before the pandemic, by one estimate,
24 million cases of food were delivered every day
to restaurants, schools, and large venues in bulk.
And to repackage it for sale in grocery stores
takes time and money.
With restaurants closed,
demand for butter and cheese has dropped significantly.
Farmers, who can no longer get their products to restaurants
and other customers, are discarding millions of pounds
of fresh fruit and vegetables.
REPORTER 2: Bars and breweries tapping out,
like Minnesota's Bauhaus Brew Labs,
forced to dump 900 gallons of perfectly fine brewski
down the drain as demand for draft beer dries up.
Damn.
They had to dump 900 gallons
of craft beer down the drain.
Right now, all over America,
fraternity house flags are flying at half-mast.
Although, it's not bad news for everyone.
I mean, down in the sewers,
the hipster rats are having the time of their lives.
But these supply chain problems don't surprise me at all.
I mean, of course people don't eat the same way at home
as they would in restaurants. Right?
Nobody at home is like,
"You know what I could do tonight, honey?
"I could have a seafood tower.
"Why don't you bring out one of those
triple-decker trays that we always use for the seafood?"
And this gap between what factories and farmers
are producing and what people are now eating
isn't just messing up the food chain in the United States.
No, it's happening all over the world.
In fact, it's gotten so bad
that one country is calling on all of its citizens
to help out in a special way.
REPORTER: Meanwhile, in Belgium,
people are being asked to eat twice the amount
of French fries, all in an effort to prevent food waste.
According to research, Belgians already typically eat fries
at least once a week.
But potato farmers say if everyone doubles
the amount of consumption, it could prevent
nearly 750,000 tons
of surplus potatoes from going to waste.
Wow. Belgians are being asked
to help eat 750,000 pounds
of extra French fries.
And that seems like a challenge.
But if they can borrow some weed from Amsterdam next door,
they can knock that out in, like, a day, tops.
And I'm not gonna lie. I get that this is a problem.
But, personally, being asked to eat more French fries,
that would be my dream come true.
I mean, to give you the full story,
my dream is that I'm eating extra French fries
because J.Lo can't finish hers
because she ate too many appetizers
during our wedding's cocktail hour
and then she wants to save some room for cake.
But that's basically the dream.
It's close enough. (giggles)
But here's what I say.
If Belgium can solve its food chain problems
by asking people just to eat more French Fries,
then surely,
the United States of America can step up, too.
America, we're going through difficult times--
disease, lockdown.
They even delayed the new James Bond movie.
I was looking forward to that.
But if there's one thing
this crisis has presented to Americans,
it's a challenge that we're uniquely prepared to face--
food waste.
♪ ♪
All over this great nation,
food that was supposed to go to restaurants
and school cafeterias is being thrown away
because we can't eat in such huge quantities anymore.
Wait. We can't?
The hell we can't! This is the USA!
Man, we're the country that invented
supersizing, hot dog eating contests
and fighting to the death over a fried chicken sandwich.
We've been training for this crisis
our entire lives.
So, America, I need you to join with me
and stuff your faces
like your lives and your country depends on it,
because it does.
USA! USA!
USA!
USA! USA! USA!
Well, that's our show for tonight, but before we go,
please remember that, because the COVID pandemic has devasted
communities around the world, the International Medical Corps
is helping those communities rebuild and recover,
but they need your help to do it.
So if you are able to and you would like to,
please donate whatever you can.
And if you'd like to support the response
specifically at home here in New York,
please donate to the NYC Healthcare Heroes
who are providing care packages to our health care workers,
hospitals and temporary medical facilities.
Until tomorrow, stay safe out there,
wash your hands, and remember,
if you defeat your roommates in Kombat,
the living room is yours.