November 4, 2021 – On behalf of North America’s fresh produce industry, national and regional associations have released a joint statement calling for urgent government action to address significant ongoing supply chain disruptionsimpacting our food systems, economies, and ultimately individuals and families across the continent and worldwide. Produce challenges are amplified by the perishable nature of fresh fruits and vegetables and the very real potential that increased food insecurity could result from a failure to address the disruptions noted below.The signatories noted:
- Crippling port congestion
- Delays and exploding costs in container shipping
- Cascading effects of inconsistent product delivery
- Continuing labour shortages
- Growing input shortages
- Stockpiling of product by consumers
The Joint Statement will form the basis for advocacy and outreach to address disruptions and has already been submitted to the U.S. House Agriculture Committee hearing on The Immediate Challenges to our Nation’s Food Supply Chain. In Canada it was submitted to the Federal/Provincial/Territorial Agriculture first ministers meeting scheduled for November 8 – 10. This is a starting point for industry engagement which will continue to evolve.
Signatories to the Joint Statement include: