littlefarmer
Member
Been working the past 18 months in the Information technology department for a large Midwest grocery chain. Had a chance to get up close and familiar with how the food distribution system in this country works. Especially from the software and logistics side of things.
People check out at the register. The clerk scans your lettuce or that can of pork and beans you just bought. The sale goes over the internet to the central computer at company headquarters.
It marks it against inventory and when a critical level is reached, the system automatically flashes an order for new product. It knows where to get the product and how long it takes to ship. Almost no human intervention required.
Whether it's lettuce from California, seafood from Alaska, grapes from Mexico, or fresh meat from the packing plant; it's soon loaded on a truck and on its way to a grocery store in the middle of Iowa or Montana. And all "just in time" before the shelves get empty.
At the store where I work, trucks constantly arriving and unloading. Clerks pulling huge carts down the aisles, restocking the shelves. 24/7 Sundays and Holidays. It still never ceases to amaze me!
All well and good. But I find myself thinking: what if something goes wrong with this incredibly complex process? It's like some huge spider web, and the slightest twitch or interruption would be chaos.
Bottom line---people have no idea of the thin thread that their daily meal depends on. God forbid that we ever find out what will happen if something throws a wrench into how all this works.
People check out at the register. The clerk scans your lettuce or that can of pork and beans you just bought. The sale goes over the internet to the central computer at company headquarters.
It marks it against inventory and when a critical level is reached, the system automatically flashes an order for new product. It knows where to get the product and how long it takes to ship. Almost no human intervention required.
Whether it's lettuce from California, seafood from Alaska, grapes from Mexico, or fresh meat from the packing plant; it's soon loaded on a truck and on its way to a grocery store in the middle of Iowa or Montana. And all "just in time" before the shelves get empty.
At the store where I work, trucks constantly arriving and unloading. Clerks pulling huge carts down the aisles, restocking the shelves. 24/7 Sundays and Holidays. It still never ceases to amaze me!
All well and good. But I find myself thinking: what if something goes wrong with this incredibly complex process? It's like some huge spider web, and the slightest twitch or interruption would be chaos.
Bottom line---people have no idea of the thin thread that their daily meal depends on. God forbid that we ever find out what will happen if something throws a wrench into how all this works.
