Updated March 18, 2020, 10:15 a.m.
The supermarkets and discounters in Germany reassure worried customers: Even after the borders to Germany have been closed, there is no reason to hoard certain everyday goods at home. However, the corona virus crisis is causing another problem in the markets.
Empty pasta shelves, toilet paper in short supply and here and there even sales volume restrictions in shops: The effects of the coronavirus crisis on the food trade cannot be overlooked.
Nevertheless Edeka, Rewe, Aldi and Co. give the all-clear. The supply of goods in Germany was secured despite the significantly increased demand, the retail chains emphasized in a survey by the German press agency on Monday. It has a completely different problem.
Helping hands in corona times urgently needed
The dealers are desperately looking for employees to clear and sell the goods. “If you want to work as a temporary worker in our markets, you can apply easily,” said Rewe boss Lionel Souque on Monday.
Edeka and Netto also asked interested parties to report directly to the next branch. Last but not least, the dealers hope for students who currently have nothing to do due to the closure of the universities.
The Verdi union called for special relief measures for employees of supermarkets and drugstores. They would have to be treated immediately, such as nursing staff or other critical infrastructure workers, said Verdi boss Frank Werneke. The workers are at the limit.
Full shelves despite Corona hamster purchases
The supply of goods in Germany, on the other hand, is still secured, according to the large retail chains. Edeka and Rewe emphasized that they had already increased the frequency of goods deliveries in the past few days in order to meet the increased demand. Aldi, Real and Kaufland made similar statements.
Here is an overview of the news from supermarkets and discounters on Facebook:
Where a lot of food comes from
Christian Böttcher, spokesman for the German Food Trade Association, emphasized that many producers are located in Germany anyway. According to the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, this applies in particular to meat, milk and grain products. In 2018, significantly more was produced here than was consumed domestically.
Recently, however, this balance was significantly weaker at around 38 percent for fruit and vegetables. The majority of the products here came from other countries.
“Germany is well supplied with local food so that hamster purchases are not necessary,” said farmers’ president Joachim Rukwied. “There will continue to be a sufficient supply of basic foodstuffs such as cereals, potatoes, fruits and vegetables.”
The animal’s feed supply is also secured, so that meat, sausage or milk are also still available.
Deliveries from abroad
According to Rewe, there have also been no problems with deliveries of goods from abroad. The restrictions imposed in the past few days relate only to the movement of people, not to goods.
The transport times would have been lengthened by the border controls. In order to compensate for possible transport-related fluctuations, the group increased the inventory.
The authorities say that
The European Commission recommended that separate lanes be set up for road trains so that they would not be stopped at the borders.
Hospitals, the health system in general, and patients need supplies of medical supplies. The same applies to food and industry.
“We have evidence of kilometers of traffic jams at some border crossings,” said government spokesman Eric Mamer in Brussels. However, it must be ensured that goods reached their recipients on time.
Italian pasta maker Barilla meanwhile emphasized that none of its production facilities are currently affected by major restrictions. Logistics also works “at a very good level”.
Coronavirus: where are problems with eating?
Whilst the retail sector is still trying to cope with the rush of customers, the food wholesale trade is experiencing a huge drop in demand as more and more schools, day-care centers and restaurants stop operating.
The effects can be felt particularly from the hospitality industry, said Marcus Schwenke, managing director of the wholesale association Foodservice. “But people no longer go to the company canteens because they do home offices. The same applies to daycare centers and school canteens that are closed everywhere,” said Schwenke.
He emphasized that it would be possible for wholesalers to supply supermarkets in an emergency should bottlenecks arise due to high demand. “It would be no problem at all to supply sensitive goods such as cheese and meat yourself,” he said. “But I don’t think we’re in this situation right now.”
No hamster purchases necessary
The food retail trade, however, once again appealed to consumers to only buy as much as the immediate need requires. “Please refrain from buying hamsters,” spokesman Böttcher called on consumers. “We all make a contribution so that everyone gets something.” (hau / dpa)
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