The Days Of A Hot And Fresh Morning Cup of Coffee Might Be Numbered

For those of us who are the “don’t talk to me until I’ve had my morning cup of coffee” type, the world has some bad news for us. And no, it’s not actually hell freezing over. But then again, it very well could be thanks to next year’s predicted coffee shortage (and climate change, of course). 

According to The Takeout, in its November 2019 report, The International Coffee Organization (ICO) found that more coffee will be consumed than produced in 2020. The ICO expects a deficit of 502,000 bags. 

Over the years, coffee consumption has experienced a slow but steady increase and right now demand is higher than ever. The demand, combined with smaller crop yields caused by bad weather, means that the coffee demand is going to be higher than the coffee supply in 2020, according to The Takeout. 

The Takeout also says that in its report, the ICO cites the low output Brazil’s Arabica crop had this year, and poor growing conditions in parts of Central America and Asia have also contributed to the program. Global coffee exports even fell 13.4% from October 2018 to October 2019, The Takeout added. 

The Honduras—where a large amount of coffee is produced— has been experiencing drought-like weather and the ICO report confirms that climate-change-related factors have led to a spike in coffee prices. 

The coffee industry isn’t the only one experiencing shortages due to unpredictable weather conditions. Earlier this week, The Takeout reported that the U.S. may soon face a shortage of french fries (GASP!). Experts are predicting the prices of the potato crop to rise, as the supplies simply are not meeting the demand. 

Not sure about you guys, but the news of these two shortages is quite devastating, as coffee and french fries are this writer’s two main food groups.