Costco, Kroger rationing meat amid coronavirus shortage fears

FAN Editor

Get all the latest news on coronavirus and more delivered daily to your inbox. Sign up here.

Continue Reading Below

Costco, Kroger and other grocery chains are rationing the amount of meat customers can buy at one time as processing at U.S. meat plants has slowed down or stopped completely because of the coronavirus.

Costco, a chain known for letting customers buy in bulk, is limiting purchases to three items per member of beef, pork and poultry products.

US BEEF OUTPUT TUMBLES AS MEAT PLANTS PREPARE TO REOPEN

Kroger said its meat purchase limits will apply to select stores.

“At Kroger, we feel good about our ability to maintain a broad assortment of meat and seafood for our customers because we purchase protein from a diverse network of suppliers,” a Kroger spokesperson told FOX Business. “There is plenty of protein in the supply chain; however, some processors are experiencing challenges. At this time, we’ve added purchase limits only on ground beef and fresh pork.”

A shopper looks for packaged meat at Westborn Market in Berkley, Mich., April 29, 2020. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

Such limits could mean customers must go out to buy food more often. Walmart and Sam’s Club are also limiting customers’ meat purchases, WKRC reported.

The limits on shoppers come as the meat industry tries to return to normal after roughly three percent of employees at infected meat and poultry processing plants contracted coronavirus.

Major producers including Smithfield Foods, Tyson Foods and Cargill had to shutter plants in April after workers contracted the virus. Now facilities including a Tyson Foods pork plant in Logansport, Ind., will begin to restart this week.

Ticker Security Last Change Change %
TSN TYSON FOODS INC. 55.00 -5.01 -8.35%

Making changes at plants to protect workers and prevent the spread of the virus is expected to slow down plant activity.

The situation may have been different had producers taken steps to protect workers from coronavirus earlier, Dorman said.

GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE

“Plants implementing safety procedures will slow down processing as well,” Dorman said. “Should they have done this five weeks ago? Eight weeks ago? Yes, but the reality is we are where we’re at right now.”

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ON FOX BUSINESS

Free America Network Articles

Leave a Reply

Next Post

Protesters stage day of action against Britain’s planned high-speed rail link

Anti-HS2 campaigner Penny McGregor walks through trees set to be felled to make way for Britain’s HS2 high-speed railway project in ancient woodland in South Cubbington Wood near Leamington Spa, Britain, March 2, 2020. Picture taken March 2, 2020. REUTERS/Hannah McKay May 4, 2020 By Matthew Green LONDON (Reuters) – […]

You May Like