Food Lines Long, But Imports Of Food, Kitchen Appliances Up 10-30% – Forbes

Food Lines Long, But Imports Of Food, Kitchen Appliances Up 10-30% – Forbes

Monthly tomato imports have increased 25.31%. Blueberry and other berry imports are up 28.62%, when compared to the same month one year ago.

Cucumber imports increased 15.28% in October, the latest data available from the U.S. government, when compared to the previous October. This at a time when overall U.S. imports increased 0.04%.

Lemons, limes, oranges and other citrus up 22.79%. Watermelons and other melons increased 57.37%, when compared to the previous October.

The category that includes peppers, asparagus and squash, up 14.25%. Various beans, lentils and chickpeas, up 18.85%. Pork, up 18.05%.

This at a time when tens of thousands of our less-fortunate Americans are waiting in their cars for hours in lengthy food lines, as food banks struggle to keep up with demand.

I don’t think these fruit and vegetable imports are finding their ways to food banks. And they are certainly not finding their way to restaurants, which are largely either closed or operating at greatly diminished capacity.

It is almost certainly true that these are heading to the kitchens in our homes.

Some other October data, data that both points both to our homes and to the impact of a rising stock market, would seem to confirm that.

While not all fruit, vegetable and meat categories are rising sharply, some kitchen-appliance imports are doing quite well.

The category that includes refrigerator and freezer imports increased 38.05% in October. The category dominated by gas ovens and ranges increased 44.50% while the category including electric stoves and ranges increased 20.87% in October, with electric stoves actually increasing 60.86% and microwaves better than 33%. Dishwasher imports are up 37.09%.

And with all those fruits and vegetables leading to leftovers, even aluminum foil imports were up in October, 19.90%, when compared to the previous October.

Published at Fri, 18 Dec 2020 10:30:00 +0000