COVID-19 and the Case for a National Food Emergency Stockpile
than having prepared meals delivered for reasons that include health , variety , and the desire to consume culturally appropriate foods .
Further , the cost and complexity of delivering prepared meals is significantly higher than the cost of providing household grocery items to be prepared at home . In Montgomery County , Maryland , market research has shown the average cost of a prepared meal to be between $ 6.50- $ 8.50 per meal when buying in large quantities . This is far more expensive than providing fresh-food boxes or shelf-stable items . The logistics of preparing , chilling , and delivering large quantities of prepared meals are also considerable . In fact , in New York City and Washington , D . C ., special software has been developed and deployed to help manage this complexity ( Unqork , n . d .).
Local Shelf-stable Procurement and Repackaging
With severe challenges to the FAP supply chain , some state and local governments have stepped in to directly purchase shelf-stable food from food distributors for FAPs to provide to residents in need . Montgomery County , Maryland , for example , contracted with local food distributors to purchase shelf-stable food . This approach was necessary , and it helped many providers fill the food shortages they were experiencing . But it was costly . Of the 110 food-assistance providers in Montgomery County , only a few were eligible for federal programs that provided more supplies . Even organizations that were eligible for federal assistance found limited shelf-stable staple items on the food bank ’ s shelves . Early in the COVID-19 response , a run on local grocery stores prompted grocers like Aldi and Costco to begin rationing quantities that were being sold , leaving many FAPs who relied on bulk purchasing unable to purchase more than a couple of single-unit rice or flour bags at time .
To address this issue , jurisdictions like Montgomery County , Maryland , used federal COVID-19 relief funding to partner with local non-profit organizations and food wholesalers to purchase bulk supplies of rice , beans , and other items that would have been sold to local businesses , and they then repackaged those items in household quantities . An entirely new packaging operation had to be established to buy , move , repackage , and store these bulk items . The repackaged products were in sizes suitable for families , ranging from one to three pounds of rice , lentils , or beans . To meet the food safety standards of the FAPs , the operation had to be situated in a commercial kitchen , limiting the number of volunteer organizations that could help facilitate the project . Over the summer of 2020 , the operation repackaged an average of 40,000 pounds of rice , lentils , and beans a week . Even this high volume , though , was still insufficient to fulfill the local need .
This type of ad hoc repackaging operation is not uncommon in the COVID-19 response and helped to inject much-needed food into the food bank system . However , this type of operation takes significant time , money , and effort to establish and operate .
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