I live in a very small town in upstate NY. Normally, I enjoy the peace and quiet and I enjoy my space. However, when it comes to simple things like going to the cleaners or the grocery store or running errands in general, it can require a bit of planning. For me to get to a grocery store is about 25 minutes down the highway. For a larger store it is a big longer. And if I take the quiet, scenic roads, it is even longer.

I don’t go grocery shopping very often simply because I am always traveling. Who needs a stocked refrigerator when I am always gone? I am a Schwann’s person; I don’t cook, their food is good, and it comes frozen so I don’t have to throw things away after being gone for a few days. Lately, though, they have been low on supplies, including ice cream! Since my 19-year-old son just moved back in for the summer, I thought I better stock up and get a few things. And if you know anything about 19-year-olds, you know they love to eat. I cleaned out the refrigerator, threw away the “spoiled” items and headed to the grocery store.

At the grocery store, I was shocked at the empty shelves. Yes, I had been hearing about supply shortages at the stores, but I guess I didn’t realize it really was a big deal, especially in my small town. Bread, pickles, fresh meat and frozen items (including ice cream) are in short supply.

One of the biggest shocks I had was in the fresh meat section. Chicken wings, breasts and drums were in short supply or just not available. So, I was left with some other pieces to deal with and eat, which is fine, but it did get me thinking.

Supply chain issues are complex, and I am not here to debate them. However, it did make me pause and think about the irony of me throwing food items out only to go to the store to get more items. This really got me thinking: Part of the supply chain issue is shelf-life. How much produce and fresh meat items do we throw away? How many spoil at the grocery store or in transit to the customer/consumer? With the labor supply issues at the plant and the labor supply issues with truck drivers and distribution centers and grocery stores, how much are we really wasting?

I don’t know how much of this is really influencing our end supply for consumers to purchase, but I can only guess that it is part of the impact and affecting what we have in current supply to purchase.

I did purchase food, but what we don’t know is how much more the supply chain will suffer. I know our industry focuses on a lot of things, but how much is the remainder of the supply chain focused on decreasing spoilage and waste? Temperature control is critical to extending shelf-life: Are we keeping food at temperatures to avoid waste and are we being diligent about this supply chain concern?

I came home with food, which I am always thankful about, but I would have liked to have had a larger selection for those food items, especially the fresh items. My son cooked and didn’t complain — I think as long as he has food, he is happy. I ate his cooking which made me happy. Just some random thoughts and dinner conversation at my house.

Are you going to throw that away?

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