Shoppers may soon find it more challenging to locate everyday items such as bananas, salmon, and wine now that a massive U.S. port strike has started.
The strike involves thousands of dockworkers advocating for better pay and working conditions. If the port strike is resolved quickly, “Consumers most likely won’t feel a major impact,” Jeremy Tancredi, a partner specializing in supply chain and operations at West Monroe Partners, told Quartz. However, he warned , “If it isn’t resolved in a timely fashion, consumers can certainly expect higher prices and face emptier shelves down the line.
” The strike is poised to disrupt supply chains significantly and is likely to affect product availability and prices for consumers, Christopher S. Tang, a distinguished professor at UCLA’s Anderson School of Management who specializes in supply chain management, told Quartz in a statement. As Tang noted, over 70% of bananas consumed in the U.
S. are imported from Guatemala and Mexico, as are tomatoes and lettuce from Mexico to the East Coast. These low-value items are not typically shipped by air due to cost constraints, making them particularly vulnerable to delays.
Consequently, consumers may face reduced availability and higher prices for these staple products. In contrast, high-value produce such as blueberries and asparagus from Peru can be shipped by air, but this method significantly increases costs, raising concerns about inflated grocery prices. The strike also threatens.