Journal of Critical Infrastructure Policy
Introduction
The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed weaknesses in the food supply chain in general and , more specifically , in supply chains that end with Food Assistance Providers ( FAPs ). FAPs are typically charitable organizations , such as nonprofit food banks , food pantries , sectarian and other community-based groups . They broadly serve individuals experiencing food insecurity .
The weakness is revealed by the dramatic surge in the number of individuals seeking help from FAPs during the COVID pandemic . In 2018 , more than 37 million people in the United States struggled with hunger ( Coleman-Jensen et al . 2019 , 9 ), but it is estimated that in 2020 that number increased to more than 54 million people ( including about 18 million children ) ( Feeding America , 2020 , 1 ). This is directly related to the pandemic effects of massive loss of jobs and income that pushed many families to seek emergency food assistance . Some regions have been more affected than others . A food bank operator in Missouri has estimated , for example , that in 2020 , the number of food insecure individuals in his area of 19 counties could , “ increase by 40 percent to an estimated 18.3 percent of the population — and 26.5 percent of the children ...” ( Higdon 2020 ).
The disruptions of COVID-19 have revealed some important lessons about the FAP food supply chain , and highlighted the need to implement policies that bolster the resilience of these critical community safety net providers . Early lessons from the COVID-19 response have shown the fragility of the supply chain and the limited capacity of FAPs , the United States Critical Infrastructure Protection Plan , and the Food and Agriculture Sector-Specific Plan . We recommend that decentralized , easily-deployable stockpiles of shelf-stable food be established to address these issues . That is , establishing a national food emergency stockpile plan .
Background Surging Demand , Unstable Supply
Although FAPs have worked hard to meet increasing demand , they have rarely run out of food because of FAP ingenuity and emergency measures put in place at the federal , state , and local levels . FAPs often operate on a just-in-time model , relying on continued operations of food supply chains rather than on storing or stockpiling food for months or years . This means that even a significant but short disruption can leave shelves empty . FAPs rely heavily on donations from grocers and restaurants , often receiving more than half of their food supply from businesses , with the FAP purchasing the other portion of food in the commercial market . This puts FAPs at the end of a long supply chain over which they have little to no control . As seen during the first weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic , early Stay-at-Home orders triggered a run on retail groceries that left many stores with empty shelves and caused a significant drop in donations from retail sources .
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