Foodservice

Canadians have been concerned about food supply and food prices since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak.

FCPC members report an increase in demand and production in response to COVID-19 The spread of  COVID-19 in Canada has triggered panic-buying and hoarding, and food and consumer goods manufacturers are working to keep pace.

Shoppers are facing empty shelves at some stores due to unprecedented demand for food and other goods even as grocers assure Canadians coping with the COVID-19 outbreak that plenty of new items are on the way and manufacturers say they have the raw materials they need.Temporary shortages are to be expected in spite of a supply chain working in overdrive, experts say, because the system isn't built to predict extreme, large-scale changes in buyer behaviour.Shoppers stockpile for a number of reasons, said Mike von Massow, an associate professor at The University of Guelph.

Consumers on the go are turning to quick and easy food options outside of restaurantsSupermarkets and convenience stores are turning to foodservice to drive growth and keep pace with multitasking consumers looking for easy meals on the fly.

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Disinfectants, bottled water and canned goods are flying off shelves and Nielsen says this will likely shift to shelf-stable and frozen foods, tooRetailers are bracing for a run on staples like water and canned goods as consumer fears about the coronavirus continue to escalate, with Nielsen predicting it will have an “almost immediate” effect on supply chains for the most sought-after items.Nielsen said in a report that efforts to build so-called “pandemic pantries” have been particularly pronounced in China, the U.S.

Tim Hortons and McDonald's Canada are the latest coffee purveyors to stop accepting reusable mugs brought in by customers amid concerns about the novel coronavirus outbreak."We will continue to monitor the situation and plan to reintroduce the policy at a later time,'' wrote McDonald's Canada spokeswoman Veronica Bart in an email.Tim Hortons said in a statement that it has made the change after listening to its restaurant owners and comments from its customers, even though health officials have not recommended any changes to its current procedures.The temporary move follows similar decisions by Starbucks and The Second Cup Ltd.

Parkland Fuel Corporation is entering into a multi-year agreement to strengthen its range of freshly prepared and quality meal options by expanding its long-standing relationship with Triple O’s restaurants.