Grocery stores faced with heavy impacts amid supply chain issues across the region

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Grocery store operators across the region say overall they are experiencing tremendous labor challenges up and down the supply chain.

That continues to further exacerbate their attempts to recover.

No matter what grocery store you visit, chances are you're not going to find the items you came to buy.

"I have noticed that the shelves are empty," said Ronna Marie Paladino of Atco, New Jersey.

Giant is the latest grocery store chain warning its customers.

A Giant spokesperson says demand and a stretched supply chain have contributed to limited product availability. Many other factors like ongoing labor shortages, limited availability of raw ingredients, freight and packaging constraints, and unpredictable weather events are beyond our control.

Chris Dougherty, manager of Rastelli's Market Fresh in Marlton, says it has been a domino effect plaguing the food industry.

"It all comes down to the workforce because the manufacturers of supplies, bottles, cans, packaging, there is a big shortage that they can't get that to the food manufacturers," said Dougherty.

The Food Industry Association says several factors like labor and transportation shortages and extreme weather events continue to impact the movement of food through the supply chain.

And these issues can be difficult for grocery stores to predict,

"We're fortunate. We deal with a lot of different vendors, a lot of the big warehouses, but they're having their shortages too. They put us on allocation, a lot of them," said Dougherty.

Dougherty says the best thing that could happen to get things back on track is healthy people returning to work.

Overall, the food industry is asking customers to be patient as they try to navigate through all of this. They want to assure everyone they are doing everything they can.