Food shortages in some major supermarkets on the south coast is continuing due to large numbers of staff in isolation with COVID-19 however some small local grocers remain well stocked.
Fresh produce, meat and dairy and products are the main items that are proving difficult to find in most south coast supermarkets.
A lack of staff at farms, warehouses and abattoirs as well as a shortage of delivery drivers, is resulting in low stock on shelves.
However owner of the Tathra Friendly Grocer, Nicole Dowdle, said their stock levels are still good.
“Fortunately our grocery stocks and fruit and vegetables have still been at about 95 per cent,” Ms Dowdle said.
“Luckily we use a local butcher, and he supplies us as much as we want,” she said.
“We have delivery coming today and I understand that we may not get the chicken we wanted due to staff shortages at Cordina.”
Coles supermarkets have re-introduced limits on some products across the state due to ‘high demand’.
Coles customers in Eden, Bega and Batemans Bay are limited to one packet of toilet paper per person and two units of paracetamol and aspirin with other limits on chicken, meat and sausages as well.
Store Manager at Super IGA in Moruya, Yvette Woods, said although her store has sold out of toilet paper, they will not be introducing shopping pack limits at this time.
“We are monitoring the situation but we haven’t seen any kind of hoarding type behavior in store,” Ms Woods said.
“We will take action if necessary but being an independent supermarket, we can put limits on items as we please but I think everyone is staying quite calm in our shop at the moment, so we’ll just play it by ear,” she said.
Ms Woods said the Moruya supermarket was running at about 78 per cent with the main shortages for them being chicken, toilet paper and Rapid Antigen COVID-19 Tests which are being snapped up fast.
“We got 48 RAT tests in on Monday and they sold within 30 minutes, so we are trying to get more,” Ms Woods said.
“Overall our stock levels are pretty good, we’ve had no issues with meat (except chicken), dairy or fruit and veg.”
Image Credit: Flickr / Marco Verch
