TORONTO -- An expert in the Canadian food industry doesn鈥檛 believe a potential second wave of COVID-19 will induce the kind of panic buying that previously left grocery store shelves bare.
Sylvain Charlebois, director of the Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University in Halifax, believes Canadians and food manufacturers are more knowledgeable about the virus and more prepared this time around to ensure grocery stores will be properly stocked.
鈥淪ix months into the pandemic, we鈥檙e way more rational,鈥 he told 麻豆影视 Channel on Wednesday. 鈥淲e know more about virus. We know how public health officials are going to be dealing with this virus.鈥
鈥淭here are more certainties know and I think it has helped a lot of Canadians to calm down, so that鈥檚 why there鈥檚 more discipline in the market right now.鈥
During the spring, panic buying at grocery stores led most notably to the shortage of toilet paper, but also led to stores running low on dry pasta, flour, canned foods and other items.
鈥淲hen you think about it, it wasn鈥檛 really too surprising because when we visited the grocery store in March and April, we didn鈥檛 know if we were going to be allowed to go back,鈥 Charlebois said.
Charlebois added that the closure of restaurants also impacted the products on grocery store shelves as virtually all at once, Canadians began relying almost exclusively on the groceries for their meals.
In the event of a second wave, however, Charlebois said the grocery stores and food manufacturers will be ready.
鈥淔or months now, the food industry has been preparing for a potential second wave, so they鈥檙e even more prepared than for the first wave,鈥 he said.
Charlebois also mentioned that several additional online grocery delivery services have emerged during the pandemic, which will help ease some of the panic-induced buying.
鈥淣o matter where you live in Canada, you are likely in a market where you can get your groceries delivered within two hours,鈥 he said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 reassuring if you鈥檙e stuck at home.鈥
In June, Sobeys launched its own online grocery delivery service, while Costco and Uber Eats launched similar services last month.
