CNBC Illustrates How an Unprecedented Pandemic Forever Altered the U.S. Supply Chain  

Tuesday, June 30 at 10pm ET/PT, CNBC presents "Supermarket Shock: Crisis in America's Food Supply," an in-depth look at how the supply chain in the U.S. was abruptly disrupted and forever transformed by the novel coronavirus pandemic. 

In March 2020, as COVID-19 began to spread rapidly across the country, fears of extended food shortages sent consumers flocking to supermarkets in an unprecedented surge of panic buying, emptying shelves of household staples such as toilet paper, pasta, milk and meat.


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This hour-long original documentary tells the stories of the people who fought to restore the supply chain and keep it moving—from factory and farmworkers to wholesalers and retailers–all the while putting themselves at personal risk of contracting the virus. 

Ralphs (Kroger) Supermarket  Los Angeles March 14, 2019. (Janet Walker)

"Supermarket Shock: Crisis in America's Food Supply," explores how the $682-billion supermarket industry struggled to keep its employees and customers safe from a potentially deadly and easily transmittable disease while it raced to restock. 

Grocery wholesalers and major suppliers describe the challenge of moving products from factory floor to store shelves amid sudden and unforeseeable spikes in demand, while egg, dairy and other farmers reveal what led to some of the most widely-reported shortages. 

Marlin Myers (CNBC)

And in April, large numbers of workers at meatpacking plants began testing positive for COVID-19, raising concerns about plant safety and dangers to public health. Multiple plant closures added strain to the supply chain, as well as financial losses for beef, pork and poultry farmers.


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Widespread fear of contracting the virus has also dramatically altered how Americans now shop, as millions have turned to online ordering, store pickup and home delivery. Although online grocery shopping services experienced difficulties adapting to increased demand, industry experts suggest many shoppers will continue to rely on them beyond the pandemic. 

Ira Reed (CNBC)

"Supermarket Shock: Crisis in America's Food Supply" highlights the vulnerability of the supply chain in the U.S. when facing an unprecedented global health threat, the supermarket industry's uneasy reliance on traditional distribution models, and the need for innovation to protect future disruptions. It also illustrates the determination and courage of the millions of workers who put their safety on the line to keep America running.  


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About CNBC:

CNBC is the recognized world leader in business news and provides real-time financial market coverage and business content consumed by more than 340 million people per month across all platforms. The network's 14 live hours a day of business programming in North America (weekdays from 5:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. ET) is produced at CNBC's global headquarters in Englewood Cliffs, N.J., and includes reports from CNBC News bureaus worldwide. CNBC at night features a mix of new reality programming, CNBC's highly successful series produced exclusively for CNBC and a number of distinctive in-house documentaries.


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CNBC also offers content through its vast portfolio of digital products such as: CNBC.com, which provides real-time financial market news and information to CNBC's investor audience; CNBC Make It, a digital destination focused on making you smarter about how you earn, save and spend your money; CNBC PRO, a premium service that provides in-depth access to Wall Street; a suite of CNBC mobile apps for iOS and Android devices; Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant and Apple Siri voice interfaces; and streaming services including Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV and Samsung Smart TVs. To learn more, visit https://www.cnbc.com/digital-products/.

Members of the media can receive more information about CNBC and its programming on the NBCUniversal Media Village Web site at http://www.nbcumv.com/programming/cnbc. For more information about NBCUniversal, please visit http://www.NBCUniversal.com.

Article and image one courtesy of Janet Walker and used with permission. Image two and three courtesy of CNBC and used with permission.

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