Browse > Article
http://dx.doi.org/10.5851/kosfa.2022.e39

The Impact of COVID 19 on the Meat Supply Chain in the USA: A Review  

Whitehead, Dalton (Meat Science and Muscle Biology Laboratory, Department of Animal Sciences, Purdue University)
Kim, Yuan H. Brad (Meat Science and Muscle Biology Laboratory, Department of Animal Sciences, Purdue University)
Publication Information
Food Science of Animal Resources / v.42, no.5, 2022 , pp. 762-774 More about this Journal
Abstract
The COVID 19 pandemic resulted in a considerable influence on the world economy. Being a big sector of the economy, the food supply chain struggled. The meat supply chain was most notably affected as every part of the supply chain from farm to shelf was closely inter-related. With the closure of businesses and restaurants the demand for at home food from grocery stores increased. Meat production facilities were impacted when the virus spread to the workers causing facilities to close or line speeds to slow. The combination of these two issues, in turn, led to there being less meat on the shelves. With less meat animals being harvested, there was less demand for livestock leading to farmers having an excess in slaughter ready animals. The decreased demand for livestock led to economic issues as money was lost in multiple sections of the supply chain. Aside from the economy and supply chain issues, other issues include concerns over the safety of meat products due to decreased safety protocols to increase line speed. Additionally, concerns of animal welfare with the excess of animals being culled were raised due to decreased capacity in processing facilities. While this review paper mainly focuses on characterizing the impact of COVID 19 on the meat supply chain in the USA, the compiled information should be able to provide practical insights to the meat/food industry across the globe to develop potential mitigating strategies against the COVID 19 and/or any similar pandemic incidences in the future.
Keywords
COVID 19; meat supply chain; consumer concern; economy; agriculture;
Citations & Related Records
Times Cited By KSCI : 1  (Citation Analysis)
연도 인용수 순위
1 van Doremalen N, Bushmaker T, Morris DH, Holbrook MG, Gamble A, Williamson BN, Tamin A, Harcourt JL, Thornburg NJ, Gerber SI, Lloyd-Smith JO, de Wit E, Munster VJ. 2020. Aerosol and surface stability of SARS-CoV-2 as compared with SARS-CoV-1. N Engl J Med 382:1564-1567.   DOI
2 Weersink A, von Massow M, Bannon N, Ifft J, Maples J, McEwan K, McKendree MGS, Nicholson C, Novakovic A, Rangarajan A, Richards T, Rickard B, Rude J, Schipanski M, Schnitkey G, Schulz L, Schuurman D, Schwartzkopf-Genswein K, Stephenson M, Thompson J, Wood K. 2021. COVID-19 and the agri-food system in the United States and Canada. Agric Syst 188:103039.
3 Yu X, Liu C, Wang H, Feil JH. 2020. The impact of COVID-19 on food prices in China: Evidence of four major food products from Beijing, Shandong and Hubei Provinces. China Agric Econ Rev 12:445-458.   DOI
4 Zielinska-Chmielewska A, Mruk-Tomczak D, Wielicka-Regulska A. 2021. Qualitative research on solving difficulties in maintaining continuity of food supply chain on the meat market during the COVID-19 pandemic. Energies 14:5634.
5 Aday S, Aday MS. 2020. Impact of COVID-19 on the food supply chain. Food Qual Saf 4:167-180.   DOI
6 Artiga S, Rae M. 2020. The COVID-19 outbreak and food production workers: Who is at risk? KFF. Available from: https://www.kff.org/coronavirus-covid-19/issue-brief/the-covid-19-outbreak-and-food-production-workers-who-is-at-risk/. Accessed at Mar 13, 2022.
7 Balagtas JV, Cooper J. 2021. The impact of COVID-19 on United States meat and livestock markets. Choices. Available from: https://www.choicesmagazine.org/choices-magazine/theme-articles/agricultural-market-response-to-covid-19/the-impact-of-covid-19-on-united-states-meat-and-livestock-markets. Accessed at Mar 12, 2022.
8 Chin AWH, Chu JTS, Perera MRA, Hui KPY, Yen HL, Chan MCW, Peiris M, Poon LLM. 2020. Stability of SARS-CoV-2 in different environmental conditions. Lancet Microbe 1:E10.
9 Cowley C. 2020. COVID-19 disruptions in the U.S. meat supply chain. Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City. Available from: https://www.kansascityfed.org/agriculture/ag-outlooks/COVID-19-US-Meat-Supply-Chain/. Accessed at May 28, 2022.
10 Economic Tracker. 2020. Opportunity insights. Available from: https://tracktherecovery.org/. Accessed at Apr 4, 2022.
11 Elleby C, Dominguez IP, Adenauer M, Genovese G. 2020. Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the global agricultural markets. Environ Resour Econ 76:1067-1079.   DOI
12 Federal Register. 1997. USDA/NCDA&CS facility guidelines for meat processing plants. Available from: https://www.ncagr.gov/MeatPoultry/pdf/Facility%Guidelines.pdf. Accessed at May 28, 2022.
13 Fleetwood J. 2020. Social justice, food loss, and the sustainable development goals in the era of COVID-19. Sustainability 12:5027.
14 Grandin T. 2021. Methods to prevent future severe animal welfare problems caused by COVID-19 in the pork industry. Animals 11:830.
15 Green E. 2020. Unpacking the meat industry: Changes in the meat supply chain have brought benefits, but are vulnerabilities a cause for concern? Econ Focus, Richmond, VA, USA. pp 4-9.
16 Grinberga-Zalite G, Pilvere I, Muska A, Kruzmetra Z. 2021. Resilience of meat supply chains during and after COVID-19 crisis. Emerg Sci J 5:57-66.   DOI
17 Gulland A. 2020. Revealed: Why meat processing plants are the ideal incubator of the coronavirus. The Telegraph. Available from: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/global-health/science-and-disease/revealed-meat-processing-plants-ideal-incubator-coronavirus/. Accessed at Mar 14, 2022.
18 Ijaz M, Yar MK, Badar IH, Ali S, Islam MS, Jaspal MH, Hayat Z, Sardar A, Ullah S, Guevara-Ruiz D. 2021. Meat production and supply chain under COVID-19 scenario: Current trends and future prospects. Front Vet Sci 8:660736.
19 Harsh C. 2020. When millions of farmed animals are at risk in emergencies, suffocation and suffering are likely. World Animal Protection. Available from: https://www.worldanimalprotection.us/blogs/farmed-animals-risk-emergencies-suffocation-suffering-likely. Accessed at May 21, 2022.
20 Hobbs JE. 2021. The COVID-19 pandemic and meat supply chains. Meat Sci 181:108459.
21 Kevany S. 2020. Millions of US farm animals to be culled by suffocation, drowning and shooting. The Guardian. Available from: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/may/19/millions-of-us-farm-animals-to-be-culled-by-suffocation-drowning-and-shooting-coronavirus. Accessed at May 20, 2022.
22 Lusk JL, Tonsor GT, Schulz LL. 2020. Beef and pork marketing margins and price spreads during COVID-19. Appl Econ Perspect Policy 43:4-23.
23 Patton L, Naidoo P, Alake T. 2021. Meat is getting so expensive people are cutting back. Bloomberg. Available from: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2021-07-02/supply-chains-latest-meat-is-getting-so-expensive-people-are-cutting-back. Accessed at May 21, 2022.
24 Akter S. 2020. The impact of COVID-19 related 'stay-at-home' restrictions on food prices in Europe: Findings from a preliminary analysis. Food Secur 12:719-725.   DOI
25 Campuzano A, Hueso-Fernandez C, Lim KM, Rodriguez H, Sisco AM, Awwad M. 2020. Meat shortage in the United States: A review of the effects of COVID-19 on the meat industry. Proceedings of the International Conference on Industrial & Mechanical Engineering and Operations Management, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
26 Ma M, Lusk JL. 2021. Concentration and resilience in the U.S. meat supply chains. National Bureau of Economic Research, Cambridge, MA, USA.
27 MacDonald JM, Ollinger M, Nelson K, Handy CR. 2000. Consolidation in U.S. meatpacking. USDA/Economic Research Service, Washington, DC, USA.
28 Nurahmi S, Zalizar L. 2021. The impact of COVID-19 on chicken broiler farm business in Malang Regency. AMCA J Sci Technol 1:17-19.   DOI
29 Peel D. 2021. Beef supply chains and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. Anim Front 11:33-38.   DOI
30 Richards S, Vassalos M. 2020. COVID-19 amplifies local meat supply chain issues in South Carolina. J Agric Food Syst Community Dev 10:191-195.
31 Surni, Nendissa DR, Wahib MA, Astuti MH, Arimbawa P, Miar, Kapa MMJ, Elbaar EF. 2020. Socio-economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic: Empirical study on the supply of chicken meat in Indonesia. AIMS Agric Food 6:65-81.   DOI
32 Tonsor GT, Lusk JL, Tonsor SL. 2021. Meat demand monitor during COVID-19. Animals 11:1040.
33 United States Department of Agriculture [USDA]. 2022. Farm labor. Available from: https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/farm-economy/farm-labor/#recent. Accessed at Jul 21, 2022.