NEW ORLEANS — If you haven't started your holiday grocery shopping, you may want to start. Grocery and other food specialty stores are seeing supply shortages that could impact what's on the menu this year.
It's a national problem, but places here are starting to feel the impacts.
Eggs, meat, canned goods and even turkey, all things you may want to buy as soon as possible if you plan on serving them for the holidays.
"Beef is the biggest one, flank steaks, andouille," said Adam Cutrer of Chris' Specialty Foods.
"Apparently the smaller turkeys are in short supply right now," said Trey Lanaux of Langenstein's. "I'm hearing that a lot of staples might be in short supply so we're worried about that."
Food and supply shortages nationally are a major problem. Locally, places like Langenstein's, Chris' Specialty Foods and many others are feeling the effects.
"We're not getting everything we order," said Lanaux. "We maybe get 75% of what we order."
"We're having trouble getting a lot of things," said Cutrer. "But for the stuff we can get, it's double the price of normally we get it for."
The problem stems from things like the pandemic, the rising cost of shipping, a lack of truck drivers, and stores struggling to hire.
"Everybody in business is experiencing the same thing on some level," said Lanaux.
With the busiest time of year right around the corner, places are trying to stay ahead of it.
"We've ordered quite a bit more, and we've also started early," said Cutrer.
"We have numbers from the past so we have a general idea of what we're going to need and we try to order to those numbers and anticipate any difference," said Lanaux.
However, as stores stay busy stocking up their shelves, they're encouraging customers do the same.
"Get your turkey now, get your sides now," advised Cutrer.
"We are starting to see people start placing orders a little earlier than they normally would," said Lanaux.
That way you can get what you need now, and not have to worry about it later.