Soup, soup? Pressure, pressure! - Ramen, cup noodles shortage hits market
Published:Tuesday | July 28, 2020 | 12:26 AMAndre Williams/Staff Reporter
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to rock the economy, a shortage of the popular, inexpensive, quick-meal Nissin ramen and cup soups has hit the local market.
The situation is causing anxiety for consumers, suppliers and traders, who are unsure of when the scarcity will end.
Checks by The Gleaner across the Corporate Area – from Half-Way Tree to the downtown Kingston commercial district – have revealed that several wholesales and supermarkets were out of the product. For those who had, customers were usually being asked to pay between $100 and $120 for products which would normally sell for $60 to $80.
An employee at Service Wholesale in Clock Tower Plaza in Half-Way Tree said the store owner had made several attempts to get new stock at a reasonable price to no avail.
“Up to last week she call. We used to have it whole heap on the shelves, full up of cup soup and ramen noodle. Dem sell off from mid-March and a last set did come and we no see no more,” the worker told The Gleaner. “She a say the price too high. In other words, some came, but she send it back ‘cause she nah go make nothing. Is like if you come in here and used to buy it for $100 and see it for $150, you nah go buy.”
Derailed by lockdowns
Sam, who operates Xuan Sheng Enterprise in Half-Way Tree, told our news team his supply has been derailed by COVID-19 lockdowns.
“You know what happen there is some [shortage]. Manufacturing lock down. COVID cause that. What we gonna do?” he asked.
He added that although he located supplies recently, he was only able to get three cases.
Joy Yson, manager of Ligaya Variety Store, also told The Gleaner that her orders have been reduced to only five cases.
“Before I could get 50 cases and 30 cases, but now because of the shortage, I could get only five cases”, Yson said, as she has been experiencing the shortage for three weeks.
Some supermarkets have also resorted to placing a limit on the quantity customers can buy at any one time.
One consumer said that she was only allowed to purchase three packs of the popular noodles at Brooklyn Supermarket.
“About three weeks ago, I was shopping and I took up six and the cashier told me that I could only get three. Luckily, I was with my sister and she just bought the other three,” The Gleaner was told.
Our news team made checks with establishments in Cross Roads and downtown Kingston and the tale was similar.
Venicka Brown of TSEDD Distributors, who is responsible for distribution of the Nissin and Maruchan brands of cup soup and ramen locally, confirmed that the shortage started in March, soon after the first case of the coronavirus was confirmed locally.
“Based on orders, we can’t fulfil the requests,” she explained.
“Basically, it’s the same thing overseas. We get it from Miami and they are basically saying it’s scarce over there as well,” Brown added.
A shopkeeper along Maxfield Avenue said the shortage was crippling her trade.
“A long time mi want this in a the news. It mash up mi likkle shop business. The baby, young and old drink ramen and cup soup. Mi sell off all five case a week,” she said. “[Now,] mi can’t get none, and when dem reach the wholesale, a war fi get some.”