Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – The United States (US) is currently experiencing various kinds of crises of necessities of life. The crisis was also diverse, ranging from food, medical equipment, to sanitary napkins.
The following is a summary as collected by CNBC Indonesia, Sunday (12/6/2022):
1.Spicy Sauce
Sriracha spicy sauce may not be very popular in Indonesia. But in the US, it’s a popular menu item.
This was revealed from a letter to a customer made by its producer Sriracha Huy Fong Foods. Due to the scarcity of chili, production is limited, not only for Hanna for Sriracha but also for other sauces such as Chili Garlic and Sambal Oelek.
“Unfortunately, this is beyond our control,” the company wrote.
“Without this essential ingredient, we cannot manufacture our products,” the company said, without elaborating when supplies would normalize.
2.Popcorn
In a report by the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), the supply of popcorn in the US began to tighten in June. It is likely that this will last until September, when most residents take their summer vacation.
“Popcorn supplies are going to be tight,” said Norm Krug, chief executive of Preferred Popcorn, which is a company with about 150 farmers that supplies US cinemas.
This is because of supply chain issues. Starting from corn production, containers, shipping, to demand.
“Farmers don’t want to grow corn because it is expensive, while others are trying to incentivize growing it at a higher cost,” the WSJ wrote.
“Because of this, it is possible that less corn will be produced than in previous years.”
Not only that, the paper bags used in theaters for popcorn, which have a special coating to keep the butter from getting in, are now in short supply. The supply is called limited.
“Some theaters are also looking at plastic or metal containers as an alternative but they will end up being more expensive in the long run,” said Neely Schiefelbein, Director of Sales for Goldenlink North America.
3.Tampon
Tampons, a type of sanitary napkin, commonly used in the US, are now also rare. This is reported TIME.
The Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Tampax Procter & Gamble, a tampon-making company, Andre Schulten, said it was difficult to find raw materials. Not to mention the process of transporting goods is “expensive and very volatile”.
“The company will raise prices in July to cover the additional costs,” he stressed.
4. Pet Food
Another scarcity will also be regarding pet food (pet food) in the US. This is due to a shortage of raw materials including aluminum cans.
Pet food producer Trader Joe announced in April that it would be discontinuing six products. It’s hard, the company insists, to predict when things will return to normal.
“Some food brands promise the situation will get better in the next four and six months. But others say it may take up to a year before seeing some of their products back available,” one general manager of the Minnesota, USA, told pet store. local TV station KSTP, as published by Nasdaq.com.
5. Formula Milk
The scarcity of formula milk in the US is not a new problem. This has been going on since February.
This happens because the manufacturer Abbott Nutrition recalls all products because they found bacteria in them. The brands recalled, according to Nasdaq.com, include Similac, Alimentum and EleCare.
This recall has implications for the closure of some factories. This makes many families in the US struggle to get formula milk.
Previously, to overcome this problem, several manufacturers such as Reckitt Benckiser increased their production. Meanwhile Nestle increased its supply by sending goods from Europe.
6. “Doomsday” MRI-CT Scan Health Test
Contrast dye is very important for visualization of medical tests. This is a substance that is injected or taken orally to help improve MRI, X-ray, or CT scan studies.
But citing CNN International, a number of US hospitals began screaming scarcity. Finally, the examination of a number of patients was postponed.
The lockdown of Shanghai, China, due to Covid-19 is said to be one of the causes. At least that’s what GE says, which owns the factory there.
7. “Apocalypse” Car Rental
Covid-19 has caused the US to experience a huge decline in tourist demand. This has prompted car rental companies to sell some of their fleets.
As the recovery progresses, many companies are still finding it difficult to get new fleets, with the same number as the pandemic. This is because production in the auto manufacturing industry has slowed significantly due to the ongoing shortage of semiconductor chips.
“For car rental companies, that means low inventory and high prices overall,” the Nasdaq wrote, according to Bloomberg.
“Daily car rental rates in the U.S. this summer are roughly double what they were in summer 2019. It’s still tough out there,” U.S. Car Rental Association spokesman Greg Scott told the Washington Post.
8. “Doomsday” House
The housing market in the US is also currently hot. In the last year alone, house prices rose 20% last year alone.
The increase in prices was largely due to the shortage of housing supplies due to the pandemic. According to the latest data from Realtor.com, there was 48.5% less housing compared to May 2020.
“Delays in deliveries and shortages of wood and other raw materials helped drive up costs for home builders and slowed the pace of construction,” Nasdaq.com wrote.
“(Though) just as demand for new homes is starting to soar as people look for more space during the pandemic… While there are signs that construction is starting to recover but prices are very high.”
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