It was predictable, but it is leaving many consumers shocked. The hauliers’ protest against high fuel prices has reached the shopping cart. In several supermarkets in the South, fresh products are starting to run out, while the stop to deliveries is putting shops and food businesses in difficulty.
And the panorama of many supermarkets is unmistakable: unequivocal departments, reduced assortments and purchases that are becoming more complicated. However, the situation varies from territory to territory and from one point of sale to another, but it is in the South and in the Central South that the greatest inconveniences are recorded.
Where the goods are missing
In the province of Catania, images of empty fruit and vegetable baskets, reduced availability of fresh and frozen products and spaces left empty in place of pallets of mineral water are multiplying. In Messina, in addition to empty shelves, there is also a blockade of waste collection in many municipalities on the Ionian coast.
A survey carried out by the Consumerismo association documents empty or partially stocked counters in some businesses in Scalea, Cerignola and Mercogliano, as well as in Sora, Cassino and Fabrica in Rome, Lazio. The shortages concern fruit and vegetables, meat, cured meats, dairy products and, in one case, fish. The association specifies that the checks concern individual stores on specific dates and do not constitute a national measurement of availability.
In Campania the difficulties also extend to large-scale distribution warehouses. According to what was reconstructed by ANSA, in the industrial area of Carinaro, in the Caserta area, the protest hindered the loading and unloading operations of foodstuffs. The problems are thus transferred to the supermarkets served by those platforms, between the provinces of Caserta and Naples and in other areas of the region.
Because today’s missed deliveries could also affect tomorrow
The problem isn’t just the last stretch of the journey to the supermarket. Unione Italiana Food, the largest association directly representing product categories in the food sector in Italy, reports difficulties both in the distribution of finished products and in the arrival of raw materials to be processed. In some of the most affected areas, production plants have come to a standstill.
Among the most exposed foods are those with a short commercial shelf life, such as fourth range products: salads and other fresh vegetables already washed and ready for consumption. When goods must be processed, transported and sold in a few days, a disruption in deliveries can compromise multiple steps in the supply chain.
The risk is therefore that today’s failure to deliver will also affect subsequent supplies. The resumption of transport allows goods to be moved again, but to replenish assortments it is necessary to realign production, loads and distribution: times can change depending on the products and territories.
The appeal to avoid the assault on supplies
What is especially worrying are the consequences for those who are less able to move or look for alternatives. Confconsumatori draws attention to the elderly, sick people and families in difficult conditions: if the protest were to continue, they would be among the subjects most exposed to supply difficulties. The association calls for a shared solution that addresses the requests of transporters and allows supplies to be restored.
And pharmacies are also at risk: missed deliveries also jeopardize the delivery of often essential medicines, while many consumer associations urge people not to panic and avoid an assault on supplies. While even the hauliers say they are amazed by the participation in the protest and the anticipation is growing for today’s meeting, Tuesday 20 October, between the promoters of the hauliers’ protest in Calabria, Puglia, Basilicata and Sicily and the Minister of Transport Matteo Salvini.
“A union of intentions never seen before”. And the protest could also reach Campania
Mario Pansini, coordinator of the Fedralog Calabria association which is giving life to the protest in the South, explained the reasons for the protest to The Vermilion. “By today the companies were supposed to receive the diesel bonus, to date, I have checked to check there is nothing in the tax drawer. Many companies no longer have liquidity, the banks have no financing and credit lines and there are those who are forced to stop. Going forward like this is impossible” explains Pacini who adds “We decided to stop unanimously, we all decided to go on strike. Usually ‘let’s think about it’ prevails, this time the support was astonishing.”
The association highlights how profit margins in the South are being eroded by the lower tariffs imposed by clients, the kilometers traveled to travel to industrial regions and the constant race to the bottom triggered by the price of diesel which has increased by almost 40% in one year, having a huge impact on company budgets. “True unfair competition has been created, clients tell you ‘these are the conditions if you want to work, otherwise move on to the next one’ and we can’t go on like this” underlines Pacini.
“There is a part of our workers who wants to go back to work, others want to continue with the arrest even in the event of feedback from the institutions. In this case the consequences could be drastic” observes Pacini.
Today’s appointment at the Ministry of Transport is therefore decisive with truck drivers who are waiting for answers to reverse course. Even if the problems may not be over: “The problem will still be Campania which is stopping after us, so even if we start working again, we still risk a new blockage of supplies” underlines the Fedralog coordinator. And the impression is that the “hot autumn” of Italian road transport has just begun.