Thread by @washingtonpost

For months, supply chain and labor shortages have been putting the squeeze on Mike’s Pies.

But another powerful factor — climate change — is heightening those challenges. washingtonpost.com/business/2021/…

Many ingredients in pie — wheat, berries, honey — have been hit hard by climate and weather effects.

That’s sending prices soaring and, combined with a scarcity of workers and other hurdles, is causing mayhem throughout the global food supply chain. wapo.st/3CqK2Fx

That means stocks of seasonal items are significantly below pre-pandemic times, with meat and pies at the highest risk of being out of stock entirely.

Food prices are also way up, rising 5.1 percent in October over last year, the fastest rate in years. wapo.st/3CqK2Fx

Mike’s Pies was down about a dozen workers. The price of most ingredients had climbed 10 to 15 percent. The company couldn’t get flaked coconut or Hershey’s fudge and caramel.

Plus, their graham cracker crumbs vendor was having its own severe shortages. wapo.st/3CqK2Fx

Historic drought conditions destroyed or damaged spring wheat crops in the West, Northern Plains and Southwest, key growing regions for wheat.

Total U.S. bushel numbers are at the lowest they’ve been since 2002. wapo.st/3CqK2Fx

Honey, a critical ingredient in graham cracker crumbs, has been decimated by drought and fire.

Beekeepers, largely those located in North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana and Minnesota, lost 45.5 percent of honeybee colonies from April 2020 to April 2021. wapo.st/3CqK2Fx

Economists broadly expect that the labor and supply chain disruptions should work themselves out as the pandemic fades, but they say climate and weather impacts will remain major threats to food and a growing number of other industries. washingtonpost.com/business/2021/…