While the saga of the Suez Canal has finally come to a close, the ripple effects of the blockage are now being felt within some parts of the consumer packaged goods industry. The 1,312-foot 200,000-ton Ever Given container ship ran aground March 23, bringing the global supply chain to a halt. For six days, more than 400 ships sat waiting, creating a traffic jam as the world looked on.
Some of the vessels in waiting were ships for Cargill, which recently told Minneapolis' Star Tribune it had 13 vessels caught in the backlog, some of which contained grain and vegetable oil. According to the report, Cargill had been warning its customers that their shipments might be delayed.
Other reports indicate products like cheese and coffee have been stalled due to shipping issues and consumers may feel the effects at grocery stores and retail outlets in the very near future. According to reports, Costco recently blamed a shortage of imported cheese on the shipping container shortfall.
