It could be because many of the perishable products sold at retail such as fruit, nuts, produce, meat, seafood and other consumables are being subjected to new security laws.
Product safety efforts can sometimes be confounding when related security issues have an overriding priority. In this case we are talking about product spoilage because of a 2007 freight screening law for bombs prior to the freight being allowed on aircraft. If enough spoilage takes place to perishable products shipped to the U.S. from around the world, not only could we have a shortage of products such as fruits and vegetables, but prices could also rise significantly based on a shortage of the products. For the products that do make it to market in sellable shape there is also an increased risk of food borne illness due to a lack of sanitary inspection techniques for raw consumables such as produce at air cargo facilities.
The cost issue may be something we have to bare regardless of the security issues because the only way around it for supply chain members is to impose more strict security processes on their own that meet the proper guidelines and there is a cost associated with that too. Suppliers, producers and wholesalers have all know about this for more than two years so there has been adequate time to prepare.
However if you find a shortage next year of what you are looking for on your perishable shopping list or you see a sudden rise the cost of airline tickets. The answer just might be that your government is just trying to keep us safe.
We look forward to and appreciate your comments.
