Family to Farmer Food Box

Family to Farmer Food Box

David Sparks Ph.D.
David Sparks Ph.D.
“When the restaurants shut down, it caused really a backup in that supply chain and a misalignment of where the product was and where it needed to go. And it's taken us a few days and weeks in order to help a realignment” or explaining the supply chain misalignment another way, “grocery sales are up over 40 percent, while our restaurants obviously been closed and that food service has been cut significantly.”

The food supply chain realignment Secretary Perdue is talking about has occurred on several levels. One contributor has been the Family to Farmer Food Box program.

“It's delivering these box vegetables, high quality vegetables, just like they would be delivering to restaurants or other customers that are shut down, currently there delivered by real food banks community and faith based organizations or the use of the people who need it.”

Also, packers and processors in recent days are returning online after adjusting their systems to address the balance between safety and production.

I'm very proud of the producers, the processers, the packers who work very nimbly and hard to get this readjusted. Certainly the packers and processors have made a lot of adjustments in trying to keep their people safe , while they keep food on the table. But we have turned the corner with our closed plants. We have virtually all of our meat, poultry and pork plants, open dairy as well in processing different for the grocery chain.

The secretary acknowledges there still could be challenges throughout the pandemic, but believes there will be an adequate supply of food available for both consumers and retailers. And he adds, perhaps many consumers now have a better understanding and appreciation of the complexities of and steps within the nation's food chain system. More people now certainly realize the sophistication that it takes to keep it operating at broad based

Previous ReportFood Supply Chain
Next ReportGlobal Salmon Initiative