Coronavirus Latest: Grocery Stores Limiting Amount Of Meat Customers Can Buy As Experts Suggest Planning For Shortages
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Meatpacking plants continue to be hit hard with COVID-19. Now, grocery stores are taking action.
Some stores have brought in extra inventory as they expect an uptick in customers.
Groceries are a basic need and for some families, meat is a staple.
Customers can look forward to cutbacks. A number of chain stores, including Costco, Acme and ShopRite, are limiting the amount of meat each customer can purchase at a time.
Come Thursday, Acme stores will only allow three packages per customer. That includes a choice of chicken, beef or pork.
A ShopRite in Philadelphia, run by Brown Superstores, has already started.
"We want to make sure what we have, everyone has a fair chance to get some, and so we are going to have limits on the hard to get stuff," Jeff Brown said.
The COVID-19 outbreak has forced a number of meat processing plants to close, leading to limited quantities.
The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture says partners at every level of government, and throughout the industry, are working to keep the supply chain functioning.
"The department has been working with food processing plant operators and state public health officials to elevate standards to protect workers from person-to-person spread of COVID-19," the Department of Agriculture said in a statement.
Experts suggest planning for shortages because packing plants won't all go back into service at once.
"I've never waited in line as long as I did today. I think everybody is going to come out over the next couple of days buying all the meats," one shopper said.
Consumers will also find choices limited at the drive-thru as fast food giant Wendy's is pulling beef from the menu at some of its locations.
In a statement, Wendy's says any local shortages should last only a few days as they are stretching their fresh beef supply through restaurant deliveries that occur every two to three days.
