Commissaries will implement a purchasing limit on fresh beef, poultry, and pork in response to the anticipated shortage of products in the supply chain amidst the CCP Virus pandemic, according to a news release issued by the Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA).
The purchasing limit is effective on Friday, May 1, and will affect commissaries within the 50 states, Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico, as indicated by the news release.
As a result of the pandemic, the purchasing of essential items have seen a significant increase, which resulted in stores encouraging customers not to over-purchase in order to maintain stock availability, the news release stated.
“There may be some shortages of fresh protein products in the coming weeks. Enacting this policy now will help ensure that all of our customers have an opportunity to purchase these products on an equitable basis,” said Rear Admiral Robert J. Bianchi, the retired DOD special assistant for commissary operations.
As indicated by the news release, the purchasing limits are as follows: individuals are limited to two items of fresh beef, pork, chicken, and turkey.
However, depending on the availability of the products in stores, the limit may increase or decrease, so every store will be different.
“In the event the limits are not in line with a store’s supply, the store can increase or decrease as needed. For example, if a store is extremely short on products they might go to a limit of one per type, or if they have a lot of supply building up, they may extend the limits on some items,” the news release indicated.
Bianchi said that this will apply particularly for fresh meat in order to make sure that the stores that do not receive daily meat delivery will not run out of products due to panic buying.
Various stores have already put a limit on the number of items such as toilet paper, sanitizers, canned food items, as well as other items in high demand. Similar to the high-demand items that already have a purchasing limited, the purchasing limit of these new meat products will be displayed at the affected stores.
“We know that this is a potentially stressful time for all concerned. But together we will meet these challenges and support our service members and their families throughout the duration of this crisis wherever necessary,” Bianchi said.
“We always recommend to our customers that they purchase what they need and avoid any panic buying to ensure products are available for others in their communities,” he said.
Once the supply chain returns to normal the purchasing limits will be removed, Bianchi said.
