Costco Limits Meat Purchases After US Plant Shutdowns

Costco customers roll groceries to their cars as others wait to enter the store on Saturday, March 14, 2020, in San Leandro, Calif. Empty store shelves. Empty churches. Shuttered classrooms and courts. Warnings everywhere to wash hands and avoid close contact. Efforts to stop the spread of the coronavirus in California are affecting virtually every facet of life in the Golden State in ways big and small — and in some cases, surreal. For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms. For some it can cause more severe illness. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

MANHATTAN (AFP) — Big-box retailer Costco is limiting consumer purchases of meat in the wake of shutdowns of U.S. processing plants due to the coronavirus.

Costco, which has about 440 stores in the United States, is limiting purchases to three items among beef, pork and poultry products, the company said on its website.

“Costco has implemented limits on certain items to help ensure more members are able to purchase merchandise they want and need,” the company said.

“Our buyers and suppliers are working hard to provide essential, high demand merchandise as well as everyday favorites.”

U.S. slaughterhouses have emerged as outbreak hotspots in several states, compelling plant closures, especially for pork and beef. The plants are characterized by crowded workspaces, making social distancing difficult.

Slaughterhouse owners say they have introduced extra sanitation measures to protect workers, including screening tests, temperature checks, face gear and plexiglass shields.

But unions say that management did not take the situation seriously enough and the precautions came too late.

At least 18 plants across the United States have been temporarily closed in the last two months.

Noel White, chief executive of U.S. food giant Tyson Foods, said Monday he was unable “to anticipate how long the challenges presented by Covid-19 persist.”

During a conference call with analysts, White said the company has shuttered five plants due to coronavirus, adding that the “period of time has varied anywhere from a few days to a couple of weeks.”

Categories / Business, Consumers, Health

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