Meat shortages start hitting consumers

Customers headed to Wendy’s for a burger this week may be disappointed. About 1,000 of the fast-food chain’s restaurants had no beef items available on their online menus Monday night, according to an analysis by the Stephens Inc. investment firm. Costco, Sam’s Club, Hy-Vee, and Kroger are restricting how much meat customers can purchase to prevent panic buying.

Why the empty shelves? Some large meatpacking plants have shut down or slowed production due to COVID-19 outbreaks. President Donald Trump issued an executive order last week requiring them to stay open, but many aren’t at full capacity. In the meantime, producers of meat substitutes like Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods are pushing new products to fill the gap.

Dig deeper: Read Daniel James Devine’s report on the pandemic’s potential long-term effects on the U.S. supply chain.