Listen to this article now |
Back in March, nobody knew where they could find their next roll of toilet paper. Then, there was the issue of getting disinfecting wipes and hand sanitizer. Of course, those essentials are expected to run low in a global pandemic. What was not expected, however, was the shortage of glass cans and Mason jars that Americans are seeing now.
Starting in mid-August, Americans started to see a shortage of Mason jars and canning supplies. In fact, canning supply sales spiked over 600% during this time. A huge contributing factor to this is that people are simply canning more now than they were pre-pandemic. More and more people have decided to grow their own food and need to preserve it through the fall and winter months. Plus, who doesn’t love a good pickle?
Initially, Mason jar companies had been using the inventory that has been piling up over the past decade. However, when U.S. ports shut down completely, any new arrivals of the glass came to a halt.
Hopefully, those who needed Mason jars managed to get enough jars while they could. Nevertheless, while the glass jars are reusable, the metal discs that seal the jars shut are not. Some are worried that a breakout of botulism could arise if people start reusing the metal discs. While rare, botulism is caused by toxins created by food not being preserved properly and can be fatal. If there is one bright side to this winter lockdown upon us, it is that most people will be diving into their preserved food a lot quicker than usual, offsetting any major botulism concerns.
What are your thoughts on the Mason jar shortage? Let us know down in the comments.
This article originally published on GREY Journal.
