When it comes to panic about the threat of coronavirus, we may be our own worst enemies. The Ontario government is asking citizens to curtail the food and grocery hoarding, which has emptied store shelves at an unprecedented rate recently. The food supply is safe, but if everyone purchases a month’s worth of food and groceries in the same 48 hours — as you can imagine, staff cannot re-stock and keep up. And in the meantime, shoppers are spending time in crowded stores with long line-ups when authorities are recommending social distancing and avoiding crowds.
Today (March 14), Christine Elliott, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health and Ernie Hardeman, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, issued the following statement related to grocery buying habits and COVID-19 in Ontario:
“The health and well-being of the people of Ontario is our government’s number one priority. Ontarians can be confident that our food supply is robust and that our distribution system will continue to operate and remain responsive to the needs of Ontarians. Rest assured, we have plenty of food that will continue to reach grocery stores on a regular basis.
Our food supply chain is one of the strongest in the world and our government remains committed to ensuring Ontarians can access healthy and nutritious Ontario-produced foods.
Please practice normal grocery buying habits and rest assured that our grocery production and supply chain will continue to provide Ontarians with the food we enjoy each and every day.”
