Victory Gardens Revisited: As Shoppers See Supplies Dwindle In Stores, Growing Food At Home Takes Off

The New York Times: Food Supply Anxiety Brings Back Victory Gardens
“Small things count,” read a headline in the tiny, insistent pamphlet published by the National War Garden Commission in 1919. The pitch made gardening a civic duty. And though the illustrations were cute, the text was urgent: “Prevention of widespread starvation is the peacetime obligation of the United States. … The War Garden of 1918 must become the Victory Garden of 1919.” (Rao, 3/25)

Reuters: World Food Security At Risk As Exporters Curb Sales, Importers Buy More
Panic buying of household staples like toilet paper and cleaning products have occurred in nearly every country hit by the virus, and empty shelves in supermarkets have been common. Compounding the anxiety stemming from erratic consumer buying has been concern that some governments may move to restrict the flow of food staples to ensure their own populations have enough while supply chains get disrupted by the pandemic. “People are starting to get worried,” said Phin Ziebell, agribusiness economist at National Australia Bank. (Thukral, 3/26)

CBS News: Amazon Workers Worry About Catching Coronavirus On The Job 
Amazon’s vaunted “to-the-door” delivery model has become a lifeline for millions of U.S. consumers stuck at home because of the coronavirus. But many Amazon workers say those exacting delivery demands could make them sick. (Ivanova, 3/25)

CNN: Amazon Warehouses Are Getting Hit With Coronavirus Cases 
Amazon warehouses are facing a growing tide of coronavirus cases with at least 10 facilities hit so far, according to Amazon and local media reports. One person who works in Amazon’s Staten Island, New York, fulfillment center tested positive for the novel coronavirus, the online retail giant told CNN Business late Tuesday. The person, who was last at work physically on March 11, is in quarantine and recovering, Amazon said. (Fung and O’Brien, 3/25)

The Wall Street Journal: Groceries After The Age Of Coronavirus
Crises have a way of accelerating the inevitable. Packaged food and other household goods are registering a sales lift from the coronavirus crisis, which will naturally fade once the emergency has abated. But some behavioral changes, such as the shift to online shopping, will be more permanent. The implications for the consumer-staples industry will be big. In the week through March 14, total U.S. sales of consumer packaged goods were up 44% from a year earlier, Nielsen data shows. Sales of dried beans more than tripled, while sales of soup and tuna more than doubled. Vitamin sales rose 93%. Even kombucha sales were up by 26%. (Back, 3/25)

The New York Times: Terror Charge For Man Authorities Say Coughed Near Woman And Said He Had Virus
A New Jersey man was charged with making a terroristic threat after he intentionally coughed near a supermarket employee and told her he had the coronavirus, the authorities said on the same day that the Justice Department warned of similar threats to spread the virus. The man, George Falcone, 50, of Freehold, N.J., was shopping for groceries at a Wegmans store in Manalapan, N.J., on Sunday evening when a worker asked him to move away from her and a food display because he was too close, the state attorney general, Gurbir S. Grewal, said on Tuesday. (Vigdor, 3/25)

The New York Times: Are Gun Stores ‘Essential’ In The Virus Era? Americans Stock Up As States Differ
Groceries. Gasoline. Medical care. Marijuana, in some places. All have been designated essential to society in more than a dozen states that have ordered many other businesses to close. But what about guns? Firearm and ammunition sales have soared in recent weeks, so clearly, some Americans want them. A gun industry association is lobbying federal and state governments to categorize firearm manufacturers and dealers as critical infrastructure, complaining that F.B.I. background checks are slowing things down as more people try to purchase weapons. (Levin, 3/25)