Grocery shopping in Rosemead, California on April 21, 2022 ( AFP / Frederic J. BROWN)

Video spreads false claim of Walmart meat shortage

This article is more than one year old.
Published on August 16, 2022 at 21:42
2 min read
By AFP USA

A reel with nearly three million views on Facebook claims a Walmart in Columbia, South Carolina is out of meat products because of a "trucking" or "delivery" shortage. This is false; the US retail giant told AFP there was a mechanical issue with the store's refrigerators, the problem was resolved in 24 hours, and no merchandise was lost.

"We're in the Walmart in Columbia, South Carolina, by Fort Jackson, and check this out: There is literally no food on the shelves. None... It is all gone," says a man in a July 29, 2022 Facebook video, which shows deserted aisles and empty shelves in the meat and poultry sections of the store. "There is no meat here at all."

He continues: "This is crazy, I think we have a trucking shortage... or delivery shortage."

Screenshot of a Facebook reel taken August 16, 2022

The clip was shared in several Facebook groups, with one post speculating that it showed "planned shortages." It has also circulated on YouTube, TikTok and Instagram.

The reel gained traction amid ongoing concerns about inflation and supply chain problems in the United States. Walmart itself has seen a jump in revenues partly due to inflation, which has affected the price of everything from gasoline to grocery staples.

The video shared online is authentic. However, supply or delivery shortages are not to blame for the empty shelves.

Ashley Nolan, a spokeswoman for Walmart, confirmed the store's location and identified the date of the incident as July 23, 2022. Nolan said staff emptied the refrigerators due to a "mechanical failure in the store, on that part of the wall."

"We were able to address it without losing the products," she said. "We just moved our products to a different cooler in the back of the store. And everything was operational within 24 hours."

Nolan also told AFP she was not aware of any delivery or shortage issues affecting stores in the area.

AFP has fact-checked other claims about US supply chain issues here and here.

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