We May be Headed for a Meat Shortage

Go to hell, hackers.

If there’s one thing I’ve become accustomed to over the last year, it’s shortages. It all started when people started panic buying toilet paper after the government began instituting lockdowns in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Since then, we’ve endured shortages of many other things like disinfectant wipes, dumbbells, bicycles and a lot more. But the next shortage that may be headed our way isn’t a result of the coronavirus. Instead, we have hackers to thank for this one.

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JBS, the largest meat supplier in the country, confirmed it fell victim to a cyberattack over Memorial Day Weekend, according to CBS News. The attack resulted in the company having to halt cattle-slaughtering operations in 13 of its meat processing plants here in the United States.

No one produces more beef products than JBS in the U.S. The company is also the nation's Number 2 producer of pork and poultry. So, it stands to reason that a meat shortage is on the way, which will result in higher meat prices at the grocery store.

The good news is that the company doesn't expect to be shut down for long, according to JBS USA CEO Andre Nogueira:

We have cybersecurity plans in place to address these types of issues and we are successfully executing those plans. Given the progress our IT professionals and plant teams have made in the last 24 hours, the vast majority of our beef, pork, poultry and prepared foods plants will be operational [Wednesday].

JBS believes a Russian criminal group is responsible for the attack.