A HOTTER PLANET PUTS THE RESTAURANT SUPPLY CHAIN AT RISK CONTINUED...
SPECIAL REPORT
nia Farm Bureau. “It’s one of those things, even if smoke isn’t right in their backyard, it can still cause damage.” And it’s not just wine. Smoke from wildfires can lower crop yields of California’s almond orchards, ac- cording to a study published earlier this year by the University of Cali- fornia-Davis. That’s a big deal, be- cause California produces 80% of the world’s almonds. Major disasters, from wildfires to droughts to heavy rain, are dis- ruptive to the global supply chain. And the number of disasters has increased markedly in recent years. According to the James Beard/ Global Food Institute report, there were 7,342 natural disasters from 2000 to 2019, up 74% compared with the previous two decades. And natural disasters have only in- creased in frequency since then, with the average number of storms up 19%, wildfires by 29% and floods by 23%. These disasters can hit agricul-
over high prices changed the power structure in numerous countries around the world, including the U.S. with the recent election of Donald Trump as president. “When COVID hit, it showed the vulnerability of the supply chain,” said RC Carter, a rancher in Wyoming. There is at least some good news, however, for restaurant operators. It forced a few lessons. Namely, be careful with sourcing. And those lessons could be valuable in a future in which supplies are more fragile than ever. “Restaurant chains realize, and even in my restaurant, you can’t be single sourced,” Maloni said. “Particularly for your main items, whether that’s a key sauce for a chicken wing chain or a French fry, you can’t be single sourced anymore. You have to be agile.” FIRES AND HURRICANES January and February 2020 were unusually dry months in California. That was followed by an unusually hot summer which, on top of a lack of snowmelt coming down from the mountains, turned much of the state into a tinderbox by August. So, when some thunderstorms moved into Northern California that month, the lightning strikes ignited several fires. Driven by strong Santa Ana winds, the resulting LNU Lightning Complex fires would last more than a month and burn 192,000 acres in the hills surrounding cities like Napa. It also did hundreds of millions of dollars in damage to the region’s crops, particularly the vineyards used to produce grapes for chardonnay or cabernet sauvignon served in restaurants around the country. But it’s not just the grapes that were destroyed. Smoke from wildfires can give grapes a smoky or burnt taste, known as “wine taint.” “It changes the flavor,” said Shannon Douglass, president of the Califor-
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RESTAURANT BUSINESS JANUARY 2025
PHOTOS: SHUTTERSTOCK
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