Prepare, but no need to panic-buy, says food supply expert

If you’ve been out to the grocery store lately, you’ve likely noticed low supplies of toilet paper, hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes.

Shelves are being wiped bare in many stores amid the COVID-19 outbreak, which has infected more than 110,000 people worldwide. More than 60 cases have been recorded in Canada since the outbreak began.

Senior director of Dalhousie University’s Agri-Food Analytics Lab says it’s clear people are concerned.

“We believe 10 to 11 per cent of households in Canada are currently stockpiling, they’re actually going out to buy extra food supplies just in case something happens,” says Sylvain Charlebois.

“Twenty-five per cent of households in Canada do have supplies already.”

He says it’s always a good idea to have three or four days worth of frozen and canned foods in your home, but there’s no need to panic-buy.

“If you don’t have any of these products, I would encourage people to go out and buy incrementally and not overdo it,” he says. “Just go out and buy a little at a time and allow everyone else to have access to products.”

“Spread your strategy over several days, perhaps a couple of weeks.”

Charlebois says unlike the preparation for Hurricane Dorian in Atlantic Canada, there is more time to plan for this situation, meaning there’s no need to fill up several carts with months-worth of toilet paper.

“With a virus like this, it allows the entire supply chain to adapt over several days,” he explains. “If you do see an empty shelf at a retailer in Canada, I would argue that 24 hours or 48 hours later, that shelf will be full again.”