Food companies producing less variety to combat bare shelves

COBB COUNTY, Ga. — A former food manufacturing executive says companies are producing fewer varieties, which will affect bare shelves at supermarkets.

Wendy White, a food industry project manager with Georgia Manufacturing Extension Partnership at Georgia Tech, was director of corporate food safety and quality at Golden State Foods.

“They’re consolidating the variety of foods that they offer, and there’s a good reason why they’re doing this,” White said.

White told Channel 2′s Chris Jose consolidation enables companies to maximize operations and produce more food to cover shortages.

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“Before you might have seen 15 different varieties, flavors, colors, different choices. Now you’re seeing much fewer than you have had in the past,” White said.

White said current grocery store shelving still reflects a wider variety of offerings, which explains some of the bare patches at stores. White believes less variety in the short term will help ease shortages.

“Food companies are able to produce more products and ease the supply chain issues that we’ve seen,” said White. “I think it’s going to be at the end of ‘22 if we see (disruptions end) this year. It might be next year before we see a return to normal.”

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