Over the last week, Canadian grocery stores have seen an unprecedented amount of panic buying, with hoards of customers stripping the shelves bare of food, cleaning supplies and toilet paper amid the novel coronavirus pandemic.
A new survey conducted between March 13 and 15 by Dalhousie University and Angus Reid found 71 per cent of Canadians are concerned about the COVID-19 pandemic, and that 41 per cent had purchased extra groceries and supplies as a result.
Sylvain Charlebois, professor at Dalhousie University and scientific director at Agri-Food Analytics Lab — who conducted the survey — said the panic buying indicates consumers are struggling to cope with the pandemic.
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“It’s not every day that you actually have to deal with with a pandemic, and so people felt uneasy,” he said. “And frankly, it wasn’t clear as to what it meant to them and their loved ones, and that’s why they wanted to protect themselves by getting some supplies.“
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But is panic buying necessary? Will there be food shortages in Canada? How are grocery stores adapting?
Here’s what experts say.
Should Canadians worry about food shortages?
Marc Fortin, president at the Retail Council of Canada in Quebec, said there are “no issues at this point” when it comes to Canada’s food supply.
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“Warehouses are getting their goods delivered, orders are coming in,” he said. “So the question is getting the products back into the store.”
He said the amount of product that would have been sold in approximately four days was sold in a matter of hours.
Fortin said for the next little while, Canadians may see less variation at the grocery store as workers replenish their stock from warehouses, but that as the weeks go on, all products will be made available.
He said “Canadians do not need to panic” and that by this weekend stores should be “back to almost normal.”
In a statement on Monday, Galen Weston executive chairman at Loblaw Companies Ltd. too said Canadians should not worry.
“Our supply chain and store teams are responding to the spikes in volume and quickly getting the most important items back on the shelf,” he said. “Volumes are already normalizing somewhat, and we are catching up.
He said there are a few items, like hand sanitizer, that may take longer to get back, but said otherwise “we are in good shape.”
According to Fortin, grocery stores have also been monitoring sales and are increasing inventory by a week or two where necessary.
“We’re looking at where there will be continued velocity or increased velocity, to increase those goods or those products little more than some others, which will have less velocity,” he said.
Mike Von Massow, a professor of Food, Agriculture and Resource Economics at the University of Guelph, said we have likely seen the worst of the panic buying, and that as products are replenished, the panic may wane even more.
“I think as people see that there continues to be stock on the shelves there, they’re going to spend less time sort of buying huge quantities,” he said.
And Von Massow said we could see a dip in demand, as people start to use up their stock, instead of buying more.
Charlebois said it may also be time to implement rationing — limiting the number of certain items people can purchase — at grocery stores.
“Rationing is absolutely appropriate when you’re dealing with a situation like this. We see rationing all the time throughout the year because of promotions,” he said. “It’s important for grocers to discipline demand as much as possible, and this is the one power they have.”
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What if the Canada-U.S. border closes?
One thing that could impact Canada’s food supply is its border and trade with the U.S., Charlebois said.
On Monday, both Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and U.S. President Donald Trump said the border will remain open to citizens and for trade and commerce.
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However, Charlebois said that could change at any moment.
“I’m more concerned about Washington and how they decide to deal with this pandemic. Washington has been slow coming out of the gate,” he said. “We saw that with Donald Trump‘s address yesterday. You did a complete 180. And so what happens next is really a huge question mark.“
But Fortin said 70 per cent of the goods found in Canadian grocery stores are made in Canada.
“So it’s not going to be a big issue,” he said. “But where we’re going to be concerned is going to be with fresh fruits, vegetables, which a lot of them either transit through the U.S. or are coming from the U.S.”
He added, though, that the supply chain has “other tools” in its arsenal in case the border is closed completely.
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“We have amazing retailers in Canada in terms of grocery retailers [and] farmer retailers,” he said. “They will find a way to get the goods into the store to people.“
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And, according to Von Massow, even if the situation persists for months it would not have a large impact on Canada’s “robust” food supply chain.
“Canadian producers produce lots of good quality food,” he said. “And so I don’t see any reason that that would change.”
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida State has asked a judge to decide key parts of its lawsuit against the Atlantic Coast Conference without a trial, hoping for a quicker resolution and path to a possible exit from the league.
Florida State requested a partial summary judgment from Circuit Judge John Cooper in a 574-page document filed earlier this week in Leon County, the Tallahassee-based school’s home court.
Florida State sued the ACC in December, challenging the validity of a contract that binds member schools to the conference and each other through media rights and claiming the league’s exit fees and penalties for withdrawal are exorbitant and unfair.
In its original compliant, Florida State said it would cost the school more than half a billion dollars to break the grant of rights and leave the ACC.
“The recently-produced 2016 ESPN agreements expose that the ACC has no rights to FSU home games played after it leaves the conference,” Florida State said in the filing.
Florida State is asking a judge to rule on the exit fees and for a summary judgment on its breach of contract claim, which says the conference broke its bylaws when it sued the school without first getting a majority vote from the entire league membership.
The case is one of four active right now involving the ACC and one of its members.
The ACC has sued Florida State in North Carolina, claiming the school is breaching a contract that it has signed twice in the last decade simply by challenging it.
The judge in Florida has already denied the ACC’s motion to dismiss or pause that case because the conference filed first in North Carolina. The conference appealed the Florida decision in a hearing earlier this week.
Clemson is also suing the ACC in South Carolina, trying to find an affordable potential exit, and the conference has countersued that school in North Carolina, too.
The dispute is tied to the ACC’s long-term deal with ESPN, which runs through 2036, and leaves those schools lagging well behind competitors in the Southeastern Conference and Big Ten when it comes to conference-payout revenue.
Florida State has said the athletic department is in danger of falling behind by as much as $40 million annually by being in the ACC.
“Postponing the resolution of this question only compounds the expense and travesty,” the school said in the latest filing.
The ACC has implemented a bonus system called a success initiative that will reward schools for accomplishments on the field and court, but Florida State and Clemson are looking for more as two of the conference’s highest-profile brands and most successful football programs.
The ACC evenly distributes revenue from its broadcast deal, though new members California, Stanford and SMU receive a reduced and no distribution. That money is used to fund the pool for the success initiative.
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QUEBEC – Australian road cyclist Michael Matthews raced to victory at the Grand Prix Cycliste de Quebec on Friday.
Matthews earned a record third career victory in Quebec City. He was previously tied with Slovakia’s Peter Sagan with two wins.
The Jayco-AlUla rider won the fastest edition of the Quebec race on the UCI World Tour calendar.
Matthews, who claimed titles in 2018 and 2019, edged out Eritrea’s Biniam Girmay and France’s Rudy Molard in a thrilling sprint.
Tour de France winner Tadej Pogacar, the heavy favourite, was unable to follow through with his attack launched just over two kilometres from the finish line. He finished in seventh place.
Pogacar will look to redeem himself at the Montreal cycling Grand Prix on Sunday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
VANCOUVER – The Vancouver Whitecaps have loaned midfielder Jay Herdman to Cavalry FC of the Canadian Premier League and rewarded two Whitecaps FC 2 players with MLS contracts.
Midfielder Jeevan Badwal signed as a homegrown player through 2027, with options for 2028 and 2029, while forward Nicolas Fleuriau Chateau signed an MLS contract through 2025, with club options for 2026 and 2027.
Both have been playing for the Whitecaps’ MLS Next Pro team along with the 20-year-old Herdman, the son of Toronto FC coach John Herdman.
The moves were made before Friday’s MLS and CPL roster freeze.
Born in New Zealand while his father was working for the New Zealand Football Federation, Jay Herdman was also part of the New Zealand soccer team at the Paris Olympics with three appearances including two starts. Herdman’s loan deal runs through the end of the CPL season.
“Jay is an important signing for us, who will provide another attacking option for the run-in,” Cavalry coach and GM Tommy Wheeldon Jr. said in a statement. “He’s a player that we’ve been tracking since we played against Whitecaps in pre-season and he has very good quality, with terrific energy and the ability to contribute to goals.
“With the recent injury to Mael Henry, Jay’s positional profile and age helps us with on-field options and minutes that count towards the league’s required 2,000 U-21 domestic minutes during the regular season.”
Badwal, an 18-year-old from suburban Surrey, is the 26th academy player to sign an MLS contract with the Whitecaps.
“Having joined our academy in 2019, Jeevan continues to progress through our club and takes every challenge in stride,” Whitecaps FC sporting director Axel Schuster said in a statement. “He is comfortable on the ball, positionally sound, and does the simple things very well. We are excited for Jeevan to make the next step in his young career.”
Badwal has made 19 appearances with Whitecaps 2 this season, scoring two goals and adding three assists. A Canadian youth international, he started all three matches for Canada at the 2023 FIFA U-17 World Cup
Badwal made his first-team debut off the bench in the first leg of the Canadian Championship semifinal against Pacific FC.
Chateau was originally selected 74th overall by the Whitecaps in the 2024 MLS SuperDraft after spending two years at St. John’s University.
The 22-year-old from Ottawa signed an MLS NEXT Pro contract with Whitecaps FC 2 in March. He leads Whitecaps FC 2 in goal-scoring this season with eight goals across 21 appearances (including eight starts).
“Nicolas leads MLS NEXT Pro in shots on target, has a very strong work rate and willpower. We are looking forward to seeing his growth as he builds on his young professional career,” said Schuster.
Chateau made his first-team debut as a second-half substitute at CF Montreal on July 6.
Herdman, who joined the Whitecaps academy as a 13-year-old, has made 19 appearances for Whitecaps FC 2 in 2024, scoring six goals and adding three assists. He made his MLS debut in April as a second-half substitute in a 2-0 victory at the Seattle Sounders.
Internationally, Herdman has represented New Zealand 29 times across the U-19, U-20, and U-23 sides. He was part of New Zealand’s squad at the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup, starting three matches at the tournament and scoring against Uzbekistan.
The Whitecaps host San Jose on Saturday while Cavalry entertains Atletico Ottawa on Sunday.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024
