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Looming turkey shortage is symptom of failing supply chain
Aaron Mesmer reports
TAMPA, Fla. - The global supply shortage could impact Thanksgiving dinner across the country, with experts urging families to order their turkeys well in advance.
According to the US Department of Agriculture, frozen turkey inventories are 24 percent below their three-year average. Experts say the turkeys are available, but getting them to stores has been the biggest issue due to the break in the supply chain.
"The shortages that we're seeing in one area are manifesting themselves in other areas, including what we're seeing happening now in food," Per Hong, a supply chain expert with A.T. Kearney, a global managing consulting company, told FOX News.
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Hong said the supply chain issues, caused in large part by the COVID-19 pandemic, are also driving up the prices of food, including turkeys and other items commonly found in a Thanksgiving dinner.
Andrew Tambuzzo, owner of the Boozy Pig Butchery and Kitchen in Tampa, told FOX 13 consumers can sometimes find the right turkey this year from smaller, locally-owned meat markets like his business.
"We haven't really felt any of those problems, mainly because my shop, in particular, we really try to only deal with local farmers," Tambuzzo explained. "It definitely is a relief [to not be impacted as much as larger grocers]. At the same time, that also supports the local farmers and it also brings a lot of awareness to folks who may not know that there are quite a few local farms around the area."
Experts believe the rise in food prices is likely to continue into 2022.
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