Cincinnati-based grocer Kroger will implement a limit on purchases of ground beef and fresh pork at some locations — including in Greater Cincinnati— in response to a drop in meat production due to the COVID-19 pandemic, company representative say.
The limits come after a nationwide survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that more than 4,900 meat processing workers had fallen ill with the novel coronavirus as of May 1, curtailing meat production capacity by as much as 25 percent for pork and 10 percent for beef. Meanwhile, demand for those meats has increased sharply in recent weeks. According to the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, 20 workers have died from the illness.
Kroger and other grocers have told media outlets that they don't expect widespread shortages, but that the purchase limits will help stores keep their shelves stocked so all shoppers have the opportunity to buy at least some meat.
"At Kroger, we feel good about our ability to maintain a broad assortment of meat and seafood for our customers because we purchase protein from a diverse network of suppliers," Kroger Corporate Affairs Manager Erin Rolfes said in a statement. "There is plenty of protein in the supply chain; however, some processors are experiencing challenges. At this time, we’ve added purchase limits only on ground beef and fresh pork.”
Some Greater Cincinnati stores had signs beginning May 1 that advised customers that they would be limited to two packages of ground beef or fresh pork per purchase.
A week after the closure of a Tyson pork production plant in Iowa due to a high number of COVID-19 cases there, President Donald Trump late last month declared the country's meat processing plants "critical infrastructure" under the Defense Production Act, opening up the possibility of federal help to keep them running.
