This article first addresses the issues of food waste and how the U.S already wastes 40% of the food bought and how this will of course rise during this pandemic. There is a focus on food banks and the increased strain on these facilities. It really hit hard for me, at a point in my life my family relied on the food bank and it was extremely essential for us in terms of food stability. I also work at Trader Joe’s and we work with local food banks for donations and I see how this pandemic has affected our ability to help out. However, we are still donating food and it is being picked up so I see that as a good sign that at least there is a push to continue helping the community. Being on the frontline during this pandemic, gives me an intimate knowledge of how the issues brought up in the article are going to affect the supply chain and the food system for months or even years to come. 

       “ Now, anxious consumers who hoarded food may discover there’s no way they can eat everything they’ve bought.”  I saw this firsthand at Trader Joes, the first wave of panic resulted in people clearing out shelves completely, we had almost no product left, and sales were doubled and even tripled per day. Customers would be clearing off shelves and piling their carts high with perishable foods. There is absolutely no way that they can get through all this food, it ultimately will be returned and since we can’t donate returned food it will be tossed. So how exactly do we try and fix this problem? The article mentions a local restaurant in Woodinville that is repurposing food waste and creating lunch boxes for healthcare workers. I thought this was great to hear. However, ultimately this crisis just amplifies current issues in the system such as the food left rotting in fields, and the uncertainty of food banks and the supply and distribution of food to the most vulnerable. There needs to be more cohesive solutions that are on a much larger scale to actually solve the U.S’s food waste problems. 

https://thefern.org/2020/03/food-waste-and-food-insecurity-rising-amid-coronavirus-panic/