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https://www.cnn.com/2021/06/01/business/jbs-cyberattack-meat-shortage/index.html
What the JBS cyberattack means for your meat supply
New York (CNN Business)Shoppers may want to brace themselves for yet another possible supply crunch — this time with meat.
JBS USA, the country's top beef producer and its second largest producer of pork, suffered a cyberattack this weekend, prompting reported shutdowns at company plants in the United States and globally.
On Tuesday evening, an official from the United Food and Commercial Workers union said all US JBS beef plants are shut down.
JBS did not immediately respond to a request for comment. However, the company released a statement Tuesday night indicating most of its food plants will be open Wednesday.
"Given
the progress our IT professionals and plant teams have made in the last
24 hours, the vast majority of our beef, pork, poultry and prepared
foods plants will be operational tomorrow," said Andre Nogueira, CEO of
JBS USA.
The company also said "JBS USA and Pilgrim's were able to ship product from nearly all of its facilities to supply customers."
Does
fallout from the attack mean a tighter meat supply ahead, and as a
result, higher prices? That depends on how quickly the issue is
resolved, according to experts.
Experts
say the impact of the JBS USA cyberattack on the country's meat supply
will depend on how long it takes to resolve the issue.
"Even
one day of disruption will significantly impact the beef market and
wholesale beef prices," Steiner Consulting Group, which specializes in
commodity prices, wrote in a note Tuesday.
Partially, that's because of the high demand for burgers and other beef products during Memorial Day Weekend.
"Retailers
and beef processors are coming from a long weekend and need to catch up
with orders and make sure to fill the meat case. If they suddenly get a
call saying that product may not deliver tomorrow or this week, it will
create very significant challenges," Steiner explained.
The
attack could also "limit pork supply availability and push up pork
prices in the near term," Steiner said. The group noted that "we think
this is a major issue but much will depend on how long the disruption
persists."
Steve
Meyer, an economist with commodity firm Kerns and Associates, agreed
that a one or two day disruption could cause wholesale meat prices to
jump. But if the problem is resolved within a few days, he said,
restaurants and grocery stores are unlikely to pass those costs onto
consumers.
"They would probably absorb those in the short run," Meyer said. "As long as there was light at the end of the tunnel."
If it takes longer to return to normal, say a couple of weeks, customers might start to feel the impact.
"Then
you're probably going to have some buyers, whoever depends on JBS for
their supplies, that probably could be short product," he said. In that
case, for consumers, it would depend on where their local grocery store
sources its meat. "If they buy it from JBS then you might see some
shortages. If they don't buy it from JBS, you might not see anything at
all."
One
restaurant has already changed its offerings because of the
cyberattack. Evans Barbeque Company in Villa Rica, Georgia, said in a Facebook post Tuesday that it will no longer take bulk orders of pork beyond this week because of uncertainty over supply.
"We're
very concerned...because that's a very big part of our business,"
Alicia White, co-owner of the restaurant, told CNN Business in an
interview.
Before the pandemic, Americans might have been shocked by the idea of a meat shortage. But the last year exposed the limitations
of the country's meat supply chain, which is highly concentrated among a
handful of suppliers, including JBS USA. Early in the pandemic, workers
got sick at crowded meatpacking facilities, leading plants to
temporarily close their doors. The disruption caused prices to soar and led to spot shortages.
Now,
the prospect of more shortages could raise alarm bells for consumers,
especially as they've already been paying more for meat: Beef prices
were up 6.1% during the 17 weeks ending May 1 compared with the same
stretch the year prior, according to the latest numbers from NielsenIQ,
which tracks point of sale data from retailers. Chicken prices were up
4% and pork prices increased 2.6%.
— CNN's Nathaniel Meyersohn, Alexis Benveniste, Brian Fung and Parija Kavilanz contributed to this report.
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