Truck convoys not the main reason behind some supply shortages: experts

Despite a food distribution and policy professor saying Thursdays are not among the busiest for grocery stores, the number of buggies rolling down the aisles was up at one Barrie supermarket.

The store owner believes this is part of a reaction to fears over food shortages after photos surfaced showing gaps in inventory in recent weeks.

"In most cases, what we're seeing is a delay of product and not a shortage of product," says Michelle Wasylyshen, Retail Council of Canada. "We really want to make it clear that grocers have plenty of goods to provide to consumers. "

Canadian researcher Sylvain Charlebois is also calling for calm.

"You've got yourself some empty shelves here and there, sporadically. But you are not going to be running out of food anytime soon."

Experts say the food supply chain is facing several challenges, including snowstorms, strikes, product recalls, and employees sidelined by the Omicron variant of COVID-19.

"Producers, processors, packagers, wholesalers, distributors, right up to the retail grocery store. They've all had huge labour shortages because of Omicron," explains Gary Sands, Senior Vice President of the Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers.

Sands says a truck convoy snaking its way across the country in protest of vaccine mandates for cross-border truck drivers is compounding existing problems.

Charlebois, Wasylyshen, and Sands plead with shoppers to resist falling into bad habits from the early days of the pandemic.

"We can't have a resumption of panic buying. That just helps no one and hurts everyone," Sands says.

"Be patient, be kind. Look for substitutions alternatives if possible or if there's a specific ingredient that they're looking for, perhaps they come back to the store in a day or two," Wasylyshen suggests.

Grocery prices are expected to rise as a result of added pressure on the supply chain, including from higher freight costs.

On Monday, Canada's Transport Minister is scheduled to host a summit to discuss supply chain issues.