Nutrition Security: UK, North Korea face food shortages, rising costs

*Food industry groups warn of rising costs and food shortages in view of empty shelves in some parts of the food supply chain, supermarkets, and across the hospitality sector

*North Korean President Kim Jong Un earlier June issued a rare national warning, saying, ‘food situation is now getting tense’

Isola Moses | ConsumerConnect

Currently contending with labour shortages because of the Brexit and the pandemic, the food sector in the United Kingdom is facing a massive challenge this summer: there just are not enough workers.

The European country’s food industry is now being stretched to capacity as the country reopens, Bloomberg report said.

Meat processors are cutting production and a “catastrophic” dearth of drivers is disrupting food deliveries to supermarkets.

Likewise, warehouses and farms are short of labour, threatening to choke food supply flows, while local pubs and Michelin-starred restaurants are having to restrict service and boost wages for chefs and waiting staff.

Shane Brennan, Head of the Cold Chain Federation in the UK, said: “We’re constantly fighting every day to try and put out fires across the supply chains.

“We’re already seeing empty shelves in some parts of the food supply chain, in supermarkets and across hospitality. That is going to continue. And we’re going to see intermittent shortages throughout the summer.”

It was gathered that the shortages started with Brexit, which capped inflows of low-paid workers from the European Union (EU).

The problem escalated during the pandemic with thousands of people from the 27-nation bloc leaving the UK Now as the economy reopens, many of those workers seem in no rush to come back, report stated.

The situation is adding to pressure on food costs, already boosted by higher commodity prices and logistical disruptions resulting from Brexit and the Suez Canal blockage in March.

A stretched labour market will fuel inflation, the Food and Drink Federation has said.

Nick Allen, Chief Executive Officer of the British Meat Processors Association, said:  “The whole food industry is really struggling at the moment.

“We’re reaching a point of despair, we just seem to be heading towards a brick wall.”

As regards farming challenges in the UK, report indicated that fresh produce, such as fruit and vegetables has been particularly hard hit because of wastage if they don’t move on time, Brennan said.

While UK harvests are under way, retailers are struggling to source local produce and are reaching out for more European supplies instead, he said.

Food shortage builds amid sickly North Korean economy

In a related development, North Koreans recently broke down in tears over seeing a dramatically thinner President Kim Jong Un, state TV said.

A Pyongyang citizen told Korean Central Television in comments broadcast Friday, June 25 that people were “were most heartbroken when they saw the emaciated figure of the respected comrade general.

ConsumerConnect gathered President Jong Un, during an appearance this month, had issued a rare national warning, that the “food situation is now getting tense” in the country.

One of the major messages Kim delivered at ruling party meetings June was the need to improve the economy.

North Korea’s perennial food shortages were worsened by typhoons last year, as the hurricanes wiped out crops and Kim’s decision to shut borders due to Coronavirus, slamming the brakes on what little legal trade it has.

“Everyone says that tears came out naturally,” said the man, whose name wasn’t given.

Kim, 37, returned to the public eye June cutting a much thinner figure after being absent for most of May.

“During one appearance this month, he issued a rare warning that the ‘food situation is now getting tense.’ ”

The warning comes at a time of the year when food stocks typically run low and the bulk of this year’s harvest hasn’t yet been brought in.

By allowing comment on Kim’s weight, North Korea’s propaganda apparatus addressed a subject obvious to anyone watching the leader, according to report.

It also supported a familiar theme in the myth-making of regime leaders, who are often portrayed as being so people-focused that they risk their own well-being.

Rachel Minyoung Lee, a non-Resident Fellow at 38 North Programme at the Stimson Center, said: “It is hard to say what caused Kim’s weight loss, or what his health conditions are, but right now they are using it for propaganda purposes, specifically to highlight his hard work and sacrifice to improve the people’s living standards.”

The propaganda line has endured despite the ruling Kim family acquiring a massive fortune, palatial residences, a world-leading cognac collection and a luxury armored train used for rare trips abroad.

One of the clues that Kim lost weight came from his June 4, 2021 appearance where his $12,000 Swiss timepiece appeared to have been fastened tighter around his wrist, according to an analysis by NK News.

North Korea’s economy is on track to barely grow this year, after its worst contraction in decades 2020.

The country equally struggles with the COVID-19 pandemic, border restrictions with China, and international sanctions to punish it for its nuclear-weapons testing, said Fitch Solutions.

Kindly Share This Story