The Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute has identified short- and long-term issues affecting the food system’s resilience.
In a report resulting from discussion with 40 stakeholders, the Ottawa-based think-tank said the supply chain is performing well but uncertainty prevails.
Many challenges currently facing the industry, according to the report, were related to logistics. Supply does not rate as a high concern, but getting that supply transported, distributed and stocked on retail shelves does.
The report noted absenteeism of workers is up 10 percent at input suppliers, plants, warehouses and retailers, and there is concern workers at ports, including inspectors, will get sick, creating a backlog of imported ingredients or products needed to keep the supply chain efficiently operating.
Read Also
Farming Smarter receives financial boost from Alberta government for potato research
Farming Smarter near Lethbridge got a boost to its research equipment, thanks to the Alberta government’s increase in funding for research associations.
“Without proper planning there is a risk of entire plants being closed temporarily. We have already seen this happen to two pork plants in Quebec, a beef plant in Alberta, and a grocery store in Ontario,” read the report. “Many participants pointed out that when there are problems downstream, there are consequences for upstream sectors, such as the case with culling of market-ready hogs as a result of a plant closure.”
The report also pointed to concern over a shortage of skilled labour, such as truck drivers, mechanics and maintenance workers brought in to repair equipment, many of it specialized and imported from Europe or the United States.
“Thus, the retention of skilled workers as well as the recruitment of new ones and proper training to address the redundancy required in the event of illness and worker absenteeism remain important issues,” said the report, released April 27.
Noting that processing plants cannot sell their products without inspectors, the report raised concern over the availability of inspectors.
“This can lead to slowdowns in supply chains,” the report stated, later adding, “allowing for some flexibility in enforcing regulations at plants, during transport of live animals and commodities and interprovincially and cross border would allow for less rigidity and fewer potential bottlenecks in the system.”
The report acknowledged some participants are concerned over a “lack of emergency preparedness by some companies in terms of risk management around pathogens and food safety and the lack of government-industry preparedness where regulators have sat on the sidelines waiting for the industry to respond.”
CAPI also concluded in the report that proper plans were not put in place following the 2003 BSE crisis.
“Business continuity plans were to be developed with tools to respond to natural disasters and pandemics,” read the report.
“This does not appear to have been done.”
