Iowa is one of many states who has eased the restrictions on dining out. The foodservice sector was hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. We saw much of our demand lost because of the shutdown of restaurants and other foodservice businesses. Will their restart mean things are getting back to normal? The National Pork Board says not necessarily, but that is not necessarily a bad thing.
If this pandemic had a black and white way of looking at things, we might think that the restart of dining establishments would mean the increase in product demand again. However, National Pork Board Vice President of Domestic Marketing Angie Krieger says consumers are excited, but also cautious.
Krieger says just like in other facets of life; the restaurant business is going to see a ?new normal.? Things may not come back the same way that we remember them. That does not necessarily mean a drop in food demand.
However, something else to consider is the economic slowdown that this pandemic created. Not everybody has a job or at least a paycheck to be spending at restaurants. The slowdown means consumers are going to be more cautious with how they spend their food dollars, especially after the last two months of learning to eat at home. The kitchen has seen a revival. While that could mean a weakening in the foodservice side, it could mean a transition to the consumer side in the grocery stores.
Our lives have been altered forever by this pandemic. However, the demand for pork and other meat products should remain strong as evidenced by the way grocery stores have been working to keep items in stock. We just may see a shift in the flow of product.
