A commercial fire burned a poultry processing plant in Montebello, California, which is just east of Los Angeles, on Sunday afternoon.
The blaze at QC Poultry damaged the building and possibly several commercial vehicles, KTLA-TV reported.
Video footage from the scene of the fire shows that there was damage near the building’s windows and doors.
While the fire did not threaten any residential properties, since QC Poultry is located in a heavily industrial area, the fire did break out near the bus yard and service facility of Montebello Bus Lines.
The cause of the fire is unknown, KTLA reported.
While this fire was an isolated incident, it comes in the midst of growing concerns over food production and possible shortages.
Droughts throughout the U.S. have already been forcing farmers and ranchers to destroy some crops and thin their herds, adding to the potential of nationwide shortages of certain food products, the American Farm Bureau Federation reported.
According to the AFBF, drought conditions have put the production of beef, dairy, wheat, vegetables, fruits and nuts at serious risk, meaning eventually consumers could see shortages in the grocery stores.
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Product shortages will also add to already inflated food prices and could continue to affect prices for a long time to come.
“The effects of this drought will be felt for years to come, not just by farmers and ranchers but also by consumers. Many farmers have had to make the devastating decision to sell off livestock they have spent years raising or destroy orchard trees that have grown for decades,” said Zippy Duvall, AFBF president, according to KMBC-TV.
Already the price of food has gone up steadily as the U.S. fights inflation throughout the entire economy.
This summer saw rises in the consumer price index for all food.
“The [consumer price index] for all food increased 1.1 percent from June 2022 to July 2022, and food prices were 10.9 percent higher than in July 2021,” the Department of Agriculture reported in July.
Even Barron’s has warned of serious food shortages throughout the entire world, including the U.S., and examined the extraordinary jump in food prices.
“Already, Americans have seen double-digit price increases in food categories this year. In the latest consumer price index report, meats, poultry, fish, and eggs leapt 12% from a year earlier as bread rose 11% and milk increased 16%. That’s occurring as the U.S. Census Bureau has found about a 10th of Americans don’t have enough to eat,” Barron’s reported.
“Many economists and strategists say a food shortage can’t happen here. After all, the U.S. produces most of its own food and roughly half of domestic land is used for agricultural production, according to the Food and Drug Administration. There are several overlapping reasons, however, why America shouldn’t take a sufficient food supply for granted,” the report added.
Some may view the fire at QC Poultry in Montebello as an insignificant isolated event, but in the broader picture of the challenges that American agriculture and food production are facing, events like this are significant and can impact consumers down the line.
