MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Grocery shopping has been a struggle in the coronavirus pandemic.
Locals have seen long lines and shortages of toilet tissue and other paper products, but a new challenge could be looming.
Smithfield Foods announced this week it would close a South Dakota plant indefinitely due to workers testing positive for coronavirus. It’s one of the country’s largest pork-producing plants.
The CEO warned the impact would trickle down to the local level.
“In the weeks to come, we’ll definitely be able to see if pricing is going to influx or efflux,” Thomas Ratliff, owner of Ramon’s Meat Market, said. “Smithfields is one of the biggest. They own more than just pork.”
Ratliff said Ramon’s has been out of things occasionally, but they are fortunately small enough to buy from other sources.
“We have a lot of vendors we do buy from, so we are able to get stuff in and try to keep things as normal as possible for our everyday people who come in,” Ratliff said.
The coronavirus pandemic has impacted his business in more ways than one, as he already started making large purchases in anticipation for Memphis in May events.
“I service a lot of competition barbecue teams, and those have gotten cancelled,” Ratliff said. “I was ready for the first three or four weeks of competition barbecue to start, and it didn’t.”
Ratliff said while deliveries have slowed down due to decreased restaurant business, they will continue doing their best getting what they need for customers.
“As long as I can get meat in my door and on my counter, I’m here,” he said. “We’re here to serve the community like we’ve been doing since the 40s.”
Last week, Tyson Foods suspended operations at an Iowa plant because more than two dozen workers tested positive for COVID-19.