Some North Carolina poultry processors are selling chicken directly to consumers; they say it's their way of being good corporate citizens during the pandemic, but it also helps them avoid packaging chicken for individual sale. "State agricultural officials say the chicken is safe, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say there is no evidence that the coronavirus has affected poultry, pork or beef," Greg Barnes ;reports for North Carolina Health News.
Rob Handfield, a North Carolina State University professor who studies supply chain management, told Barnes that shifting processing plant supply chains from bulk sales to individual sales is time-consuming, and is probably part of the reason for the current shortage of meat in grocery stores.
Panic buying may also be to blame, since the nation has enough frozen meat stores to last a little while yet. But shortages could be coming. More and more meat processors have been obliged to close because of sickened employees, but even in plants that remain open, some employees have been reluctant to come back because they worry they'll get sick, Barnes reports.
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