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Should Americans Prepare for Meat Shortages?
Former Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack joins GZERO World to discuss the food supply chain crisis and why it's so hard to get meat processing up and running at full capacity right now. But he assures us that there won't likely be a noticeable shortage for consumers. A bigger concern, he says, is addressing growing food insecurity among the unemployed and poor families badly impacted by the pandemic. He recommends expanding access to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) for more Americans to offset the crisis, and so more unemployed workers will be able to buy food.
Hog Farming for Smithfield Foods During COVID-19
Shockwaves rippling through the global food supply chain are having real world effects — and not just at your neighborhood Wendy's. GZERO World with Ian Bremmer introduces you to Mike Patterson, one Minnesota hog farmer in the crosshairs of a nationwide crisis. He told us the current problem "shows the fragility of the system. That one piece goes down in that processing chain and we're not able to get meat to consumers."
America’s meat supply crisis
With just a few companies controlling the vast majority of beef, pork and poultry processing in the US, the nation's meat supply chain was already vulnerable. The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the shortcomings of the system and threatens to disrupt the entire industry, from farmers to processing plants to grocery store shelves.
This week, GZERO World with Ian Bremmer explores two sides of America's current food crisis: Infections and supply chain disruption that have shuttered plants, and growing food insecurity caused by soaring unemployment. Food banks are reporting a 70% increase in demand from communities while farmers are forced to dump milk or let animal products go to waste.
Our guest, Tom Vilsack, knows both sides of the story from experience. As former Governor of Iowa, farming and agriculture were key areas of policy and politics. Later, as President Obama's Sec. of Agriculture, he was tasked with managing the national issues of food supply and demand. Now, as a board member of Feeding America, he sees firsthand the need for more aid to working families who can't make ends meet in this pandemic.
Podcast: America’s Meat Supply Crisis with Tom Vilsack
Listen: With just a few companies controlling the vast majority of beef, pork and poultry processing in the US, the nation's meat supply chain was already vulnerable. The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the shortcomings of the system and threatens to disrupt the entire industry, from farmers to processing plants to grocery store shelves.
This week, GZERO World with Ian Bremmer explores two sides of America's current food crisis: Infections and supply chain disruption that have shuttered plants, and growing food insecurity caused by soaring unemployment. Food banks are reporting a 70% increase in demand from communities while farmers are forced to dump milk or let animal products go to waste.
Our guest, Tom Vilsack, knows both sides of the story from experience. As former Governor of Iowa, farming and agriculture were key areas of policy and politics. Later, as President Obama's Sec. of Agriculture, he was tasked with managing the national issues of food supply and demand. Now, as a board member of Feeding America, he sees firsthand the need for more aid to working families who can't make ends meet in this pandemic.
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