Illinois And Iowa Grocery Shelves Could Be Bare In Days

Grocery shopping could get tricky.

Unless you've been living under a rock this week (if you have, I'm jealous) you have probably seen that there is a strike going on at U.S. ports. It's the first such strike among dockworkers in over a decade and the issue with this is obviously about to be what will be on the shelves at the store.

Is It The Great Toilet Paper Hoard Of 2020 Again?

Sure enough, people are panic buying toilet paper again. Luckily it doesn't sound like the port strike will hit the toilet paper industry so y'all can chill out. But it will clear out a few grocery shelves. Bananas and cherries are going to be some of the most impacted foods by the port strike.

Besides the perishable fruit, over 100 foods are impacted, including:

• Canned food (85% of them arrive to the U.S. via waterborne vessels)
• Hot peppers (82%)
• Chocolate (80%)
• Beer, wine, whiskey, and scotch (80%)
• Rum (60%, of course that's coming in from the Gulf and East ports)

It's not only the imports, remember our farmers need to send out soybeans, poultry, and other exports. They can't do that if the port strike is going on.

If the strike drags on, these items will be harder to find and if you do find them, they will be more expensive. The strike could only last a few days but it could have major consequences on the economy. Experts are now predicting a loss of $318 million.

With the hurricane having just made a huge mess, this is not good timing. Hopefully everyone can get the supplies needed. We don't need a shortage of liquor and chocolate at the holidays either.