From Spain to Germany, farmers warn of fresh food shortages

Re:From Spain to Germany, farmers warn of fresh food shortages by sct202 on Saturday March 28, 2020 @05:04PM (#22714318)

Worst case with meat shortages, they'll just have to eat the corn and soy they were feeding to the animals or process the grains into grain based meat substitutes. In general grain production is very automated so there won't be as much of an issue with labor issues in the US or South America impacting the global supply of grain compared to fruits and vegetables.

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Re:From Spain to Germany, farmers warn of fresh food shortages by jandrewrogers on Saturday March 28, 2020 @10:35PM (#22715900)

Quite a lot of animal feed is not fit for human consumption as it was never designed for that purpose. Animal feed is optimized for the biology of the animals eating it to elicit specific outcomes in those animals for the lowest cost. Human digestive and metabolic systems are quite dissimilar to ruminants.

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Re:From Spain to Germany, farmers warn of fresh food shortages by dillondoyle on Saturday March 28, 2020 @09:31PM (#22715632)

It sounded like farm picker migration from Mexico was on hold - no visas. But recent news suggest maybe not. Mexico could shut it down too - or might have a better time breaking their constitution to not allow their citizens back in on the way home.

Either way I would bet that with millions out of work unable to pay rent a backbreaking job sounds better than nothing. Especially if so much food is at stake send in the national guard if can't get enough bodies.

Visa's stopped: https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/03/18/seasonal-...

Restrictions Eased (yesterday): https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-further-eases-curbs-on-seas...

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Re:From Spain to Germany, farmers warn of fresh food shortages by imtringued on Saturday March 28, 2020 @06:57PM (#22714935)

Animal feed is often under less stringent regulations than food meant for human consumption.

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Re:From Spain to Germany, farmers warn of fresh food shortages by catalogia on Saturday March 28, 2020 @08:36PM (#22715409)

When you're facing starvation, such modern niceties will go out the window.

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Re:From Spain to Germany, farmers warn of fresh food shortages by beerandt on Saturday March 28, 2020 @08:59PM (#22715513)

That logic is good when the farm is next door and you can pay cash $ for a bushel of feed grade corn or whatever. But it starts to fall short when you're still relying on the normal supply chain to get food in a city center.

Desperate and hungry people will be resourceful, but it likely won't be as simple as a lower grade of corn in the produce section of the grocery store.

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Re:From Spain to Germany, farmers warn of fresh food shortages by 6510 on Saturday March 28, 2020 @11:44PM (#22716198)

Stores try new products all the time. If people want 100 kinds of breakfast cereal the store will figure it out by trial and error.

Failing to do so would take a huge number of people whose job description is to do exactly that. If one tries something new that works the rest is sure to follow.

They are puzzling all the time, how much eggs to buy? how much potatoes? how much this? how much that? They never get it exactly right, they are always a few bags of apples short or have to throw them out.

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Re:From Spain to Germany, farmers warn of fresh food shortages by beerandt on Sunday March 29, 2020 @12:12PM (#22720111)

I don't disagree, but see it as a different problem.

I'm presuming regulations wouldn't be updated/waived quickly enough (for feed grade produce, etc), which is part of why famines of this level come to be in the first place.

It's not that stores wouldn't buy it or be willing to sell it, but that companies are much less likely to go against regulations than an individual, even in times of distress.

And to get to grocery store shelves, a product has to go through the hands of multiple companies, depending on level of refinement. But probably at least a producer, a wholesaler/packing house, a distributer, and at least three transport companies. All of which would need to be willing to take the risk of breaking regulations. Which is normally a good thing, since it keeps our food supply chain safe.

It's part of why EPA/USDA/FDA/etc regulations focus on what companies are allowed to grow or manufacture or sell, instead of what consumers are allowed to buy.

So what you're describing is true, but if we're talking about normally illegal-to-sell-food, depends on many people deciding to flout regulations.

This is all in addition to any rationing or other emergency rules that might be put in place (like attempts at government controlled distribution, ala Venezuela)

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