Photo Shows Dunkin' Store Out of Donuts as Food Shortages Hit U.S.

There appears to be a lack of Dunkin' Donuts in parts of Baltimore due to "supply chain issues," according to posts and a photo on social media, as food shortages begin to be felt in the United States.

It's unclear whether the supply chain shortage is impacting the local area or nationwide, and Newsweek has contacted Dunkin' Donuts for comment.

A photo posted on Thursday with the caption "#BuildBackBetter" shows an empty shelf in a Baltimore store with a sign from Dunkin' Donuts saying: "We apologize, but due to supply chain issues, we do not have donuts today."

"Please try our wonderful bagels and muffins."

Amanda Burnham, who posted a picture of the empty shelf and the sign, was asked by Newsweek which store was impacted:

"This was the Belvedere Square location in Baltimore, MD (544 E. Belvedere Square)," she said. "I took the photo on Wednesday morning around 10am; I was going in to grab a coffee, but saw the sign and thought it was pretty amusing, so snapped a photo."

Asked whether she was looking for donuts, Burnham said she wasn't. "I probably would have been pretty annoyed if I was looking for donuts, though!" she said.

The news comes amid reports of empty shelves in stores across the U.S. Photos and videos on social media are showing growing evidence of food shortages.

Some food producers have already issued warnings. For example, Butterball, which is one of the leading turkey producers in the U.S., has warned of a shortage of turkeys ahead of Thanksgiving in late November.

The global supply chain has been disrupted by the COVID pandemic, and the effects of the disruption are being felt in countries across the world, from the U.S. to parts of Europe and Asia. The demand for goods has spiked as the economy recovers from the 2020 lows, but due to a shortage of warehouse workers, containers and truck drivers, the supply chain hasn't been able to keep up.

On Wednesday, the White House announced measures intended to ease the crisis, which is threatening to disrupt the U.S. holiday season.

President Biden said that the country's two busiest ports — Los Angeles and Long Beach — would expand around-the-clock operations to unload an estimated 500,000 containers waiting on cargo ships offshore, working 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Traditionally. U.S. ports have only been open on weekdays and are generally closed at nights and weekends.

He spoke after meeting with executives from the two ports as well as senior staff from several unions, freight and delivery companies.

Walmart, Target and other big retailers will also expand their overnight operations at the ports to try to meet delivery needs, he added.

The president has promised an overhaul of the snarled supply chain system, which White House officials have warned could caused higher prices and empty shelves this Christmas. White House spokesperson Jen Psaki warned on Wednesday that the administration couldn't guarantee there would be no holiday disruptions.