Coronavirus takes its toll on the food industry

While people have wiped the shelves bare of toilet paper, the concern about the spread of coronavirus has affected other areas of the economy as well. Several restaurants, including NYC’s Le Bernardin, San Francisco’s La Taqueria, and dozens more have closed their doors for at least a couple of weeks. Alinea’s Nick Kokonas explains how many restaurants are facing a sharp downturn of business. This is happening industry-wide, so even if you do not feel comfortable going out to eat right now, you can support your favorite eateries by buying gift certificates so the restaurant can have a little cash flow to keep the lights on until this crisis passes (don’t forget to include a tip if you live in the US).

Restaurants are not the only food-related businesses making tough decisions. High- profile industry events like the IACP conference, James Beard Foundation Awards, Natural Products Expo West, and others have been postponed or cancelled due to concerns about spread of the disease. This in turn affects the airline industry, which is cancelling flights and service. A friend of mine posted a photo of her recent flight: in an airplane that can seat 200+, there were four passengers (they all got to ride in first-class).

The fallout from this crisis is affecting food producers too. Manufacturers do not generally keep large supplies of inventory on hand. Grocery stores have also moved to leaner inventories. According to The Washington Post, “industry officials acknowledge some uncertainty about how exactly they will be able to replenish their stocks if factories and ports worldwide are short-staffed.” We in the US shouldn’t worry about stores running out of food items the same way they have been depleted of hand sanitizer, however. Most experts agree that we have at least several months’ worth of food between store and warehouse inventories and what is currently moving through production.

Other businesses are also adapting, allowing or even mandating telework for their employeese. All of these factors added together mean that people will be cooking more at home, whether they like it (me!) or not (my neighbor). I’m the kind of person who likes to dive into a baking project when stressed, and I’m not alone. Eater recently posted an article on why people ‘stress-bake’ during times of crisis. I am poring through my cookbooks nightly, bookmarking things I want to bake. My pantry and freezer are both fairly well stocked and I could bake almost anything I fancied, but I find myself drawn to simple, comfort-food bakes. I will probably bake Rosemary chocolate chip shortbread (pictured above) to start. That way I’ll have something to nibble on as I contemplate other recipes.

Returning to the topic of pantries, we posted an article a few days ago on how to stock your larder for a quarantine. You might find yourself staring into the cupboards wondering what you can make out of the various tinned items or dry goods you have. Rachael Ray, who of course is not going to let a pandemic get her down, has kindly posted a list of fifteen different dishes you can make from pantry staples, and of course the EYB Library is a great resource.

The spread of Covid-19 has become a stressful situation for many people, and we want all of our Members to stay safe and take all precautions necessary for their particular situation.