The Financial Post reported on March 20 that the Kraft Heinz Co. plant in Montreal is working around the clock to meet the growing demand for Kraft Dinner – demand that’s up by 35 per cent as a result of COVID-19 panic buying. The story quoted U of G Prof. Evan Fraser for perspective on the manufacturing process.

Fraser is Canada Research Chair in Global Food Security and director of the Arrell Food Institute at U of G. He told FP that the just-enough model – producing only what stores need in a given period – is the most common inventory management method in Canada. Maintaining a large inventory is expensive, even for products with a long shelf life.

“If you want a big warehouse full of Kraft Dinner, you’re going to have to have a big warehouse, and you’re going to have to have that climate-controlled and built in such a way that rats and insects can’t get into it,” he said.

The current model makes it challenging to meet dramatic increases in demand, he said.