A shortage of popular food items from popcorn to sriracha is hitting restaurants and grocery shelves this summer, a sign that the world’s immense supply chains are still under pressure.
Over the past few months, many seemingly random foods have become wildly expensive or unusually hard to find. These include lettuce in Australia, onions and salami in Japan and even bottled beer in Germany, sending businesses scrambling to find alternatives to feed their customers.
The problem is usually not so much a lack of the product itself but more to do with a stretched global supply chain. It’s a whirlwind of factors, from adverse weather to the pandemic to geopolitical tensions and rebounding demand.