What are the headlines that you will remember from 2021?
The ups and downs of the pandemic, the vax mandate, the logistical nightmares of trying to find containers, the truck shortage, inflation for packaging and inputs, the PMA/United merger, the uneven progress in the “return to normal” for industry events - the list of top topics seems endless.
I recently asked the LinkedIn Fresh Produce Industry Discussion Group this question:
The poll format allows only four options. With 81 votes cast after one day in a one-week poll, the results so far are:
- Supply chain problems: 63%
- Inflation for inputs: 15%
- Elevated truck rates: 16%
- Other (explain): 6%
Needless to say, having four options in the poll was not nearly enough. Labor, human resource issues, cybersecurity issues were among the “other” answers offered so far.
With October media reports of continued worries about the supply chain and even food hoarding, the front-runner spot in the poll seems secure.
On the other hand, we have six more days in the poll, and the next headline could be bigger than all the rest.
