Grocery shortages at supermarkets have forced a family to travel 30 minutes to another town to get baby formula for their 7-month-old daughter.
Other shoppers in the Bay of Plenty are forking out more at
Grocery shortages at supermarkets have forced a family to travel 30 minutes to another town to get baby formula for their 7-month-old daughter.
Other shoppers in the Bay of Plenty are forking out more at the till as the items left are the more expensive alternatives, while other shoppers are waiting days for delivery slots where half the items ordered are not in the bag.
Supermarkets say supply chain issues and isolating staff have impacted stock and staff numbers, meaning online order delivery times are limited and items are missing from shelves.
A Bay of Plenty Times reporter walked through a Pak'nSave, New World and Countdown in Tauranga between 11am and 1.30pm on Tuesday and noticed shelves either bare or running low on stock.
The biggest gaps were of the basics, like oats, tinned food, flour, jams, frozen food, cereals, pasta, cold medicine, and oils or luxury items, like multi-packs of chips, fizzy and ice creams.
Ready meals like soup, Up & Go, pizza, frozen meals, kids' fruit cups and snacks, had limited stock.
Of the items with low to no stock, it was often the cheapest version missing from the shelves.
Kawerau's Rob Rhyndress said the family of three have been "dangerously low" on baby formula twice.
They are also continuously close to running out of canned food, which is limited in the only supermarket in the town.
He said this was "stressful" and the couple had to go first thing to try to get some before it sold out. When there was nothing, they needed to get it from a Whakatāne supermarket.
His partner, Roxanne Saynes, works nightshift at Whakatāne Hospital. He works in Mount Maunganui.
Between their hours, they had limited time to go to the supermarket when shelves were stocked.
"Add to that when we finally find some, we're only allowed two cans," Rhyndress said.
He said this started being a noticeable problem in late January and throughout February, and it was getting worse.
He said it was especially concerning given it was an essential item for their daughter who needed the formula for medical reasons.
Moana Rayner said the cheaper products were the ones that were gone first, which meant working around limited stock added to the final bill.
Her preferred brand of toilet paper has been off the shelves for weeks and she was "lucky" to get the last two cans of baked beans during one of her shops, she said.
She noticed the lack of rice, macaroni, frozen vegetables, and other foods that could be preserved.
However, she said there were "always ways around it".
Jonathan Nicholas said his family of eight have had to get what they can afford and make do with what they have.
He said frozen food and fruit and vegetables were low, but there were alternatives, although they were more expensive.
"If you've got a big family it's a bit on the hard side, but everyone understands we're in the crunch of this whole pandemic. It's pretty crazy."
He said any shortage was "totally understandable in these times".
"I think everyone is just thankful to get what they can."
Angelica Codeco said it was "a little scary" to see the empty shelves.
The Brazilian family haven't been able to find bones for their soup, orange juice, and said general prices continued to rise.
She was now spending twice as much on rice as her usual brand was always sold out.
Codeco said the family was in isolation two weeks ago with Covid and found their 4-year-old daughter was hungrier and they needed a friend to do their shopping for them.
Keen baker Maryna Dickinson said rice, sugar and flour were increasingly difficult to find and she also couldn't find eggs on one particular day.
She does meal prep for the family and said being unable to find certain things was a "hassle" as an alternative needed to be found or she needed to change the shop.
Welcome Bay's Josiah Hansen was running low on food in isolation after her meal box wasn't delivered because of supply issues and a supermarket had no delivery options.
The next day, slots for delivery times had been put in for four days away.
She lived alone and needed a friend to drop off some necessities while she waited for her delivery.
"When my delivery did arrive, nearly half the items I ordered were unavailable."
Foodstuffs and Countdown did not provide answers to specific questions from the Bay of Plenty Times regarding regional stock levels, demand, delivery times and the number of drivers available.
Foodstuffs own the New World, Four Square and Pak'nSave brands.
Its corporate affairs manager Emma Wooster said there might be changes in-store as more team members isolated.
This included reduced opening times and limiting the number of products customers can buy at once.
She said its Kiwi suppliers and manufacturers were "doing their best" to keep the stock flowing and suggested people "try something different" if their favourite item isn't there.
She encouraged people unable to go into a store to ask a friend or neighbour to shop for them, or use the online and Click & Collect services.
"Additionally, Student Volunteer Army have reinstated their grocery delivery service in partnership with New World, predominantly to support people with Covid-19."
She said it was not increasing prices directly because of Covid-19, and said food prices always varied with product demand, seasonality, and weather.
A Countdown spokeswoman said about 1900 of its team were isolating and fewer people across the supply chain affected what ended up on the shelves.
She said there were delays in meat, frozen and chilled products, but it was working with supply chain partners to prioritise the essentials so customers could get what they needed.
She said pet food, toilet paper, pasta, rice and tinned food, as well as cold medicines, tissues and vitamins were popular during the outbreak.
She said these essentials were all "in good supply, although brand availability may vary".
There were fewer delivery time slots available and supply chain impacts meant customers had more substitutions in their orders.
"Our team is doing their best to ensure our customers, particularly those who are staying at home and isolating can get what they need, but it is challenging at the moment."
She said there was plenty to go around but "it's just taking longer to get through".
Decorative gardens bloom in carry-on suitcases or bags.