Amid Food Shortages, Venezuela Orders Companies To Distribute Products To State Stores

As food shortages become the norm in Venezuela, its government has ordered companies to distribute food staples to government-run supermarkets, according to the country's Food Industry Chamber Monday. Federal authorities mandated producers of milk, pasta, oil, rice, sugar and flour to supply between 30 percent and 100 percent of their goods to the state stores, reported the Associated Press. Chamber President Pablo Baraybar told the Associated Press that the order would cause major supply problems for private stores, which outnumber the state-run supermarkets by 15 times. Food industry companies have also complained of strict regulations, which they say make it impossible to turn a profit. More…