Keene Sentinel

New Hampshire residents know the drill.

There is an announcement of an approaching nor’easter. We go to the grocery store and stock up on the essentials. The storm comes, there is a disruption for a few days, and then life returns to normal.

But in the COVID-19 pandemic, the drill is different. The disruption is expected to last much longer.

And one must look no farther than the toilet paper aisle to see how easy it is to cross the line from prudent pre-buying to hoarding.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, people should consider having enough prescription and over-the-counter medications, food and other essentials for two weeks. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security offers similar guidelines, noting specific items to have on hand include water, stomach remedies, cough and cold medicines, pain relievers, fluids with electrolytes and vitamins.

“I do think we need to think about foods that have a longer shelf life and use some of those foods in our pantries,” Colleen Barry, director of nutrition services at Cheshire Medical Center in Keene, said Thursday.

This includes canned foods, which, despite being demonized over the years, are a great source of nutrition when chosen wisely, she said.

Some of those wise choices are canned beans, canned vegetables, canned sources of protein such as tuna, and even canned soups, she said, although for soups, people on low-sodium diets should stick to the low-sodium variety. Dried beans and packets of tuna are also good, she said.

Whole-grain pasta and brown rice are other shelf-stable items with high nutritional value, Barry said. And since many people now have extra time on their hands thanks to the pandemic, it may be a good time for them to experiment with recipes using whole grains such as barley, bulgur and millet, as well as other staples in their pantries, she said.

This is also a time for people to think differently about how they purchase and store produce and meat, according to Barry.

“With fresh fruits and vegetables, it’s making sure you’re storing them appropriately in the refrigerator,” she said.

People should also consider buying vegetables that last longer than others — butternut and spaghetti squashes, onions and potatoes, she noted. Another way to extend the life of veggies is to put them in soups that are then frozen, she added.

Fresh fruits such as berries and bananas can always be frozen, and large packages of meat can be divided into smaller portions, packaged and frozen for later, she said.

John Dumais, president and CEO of the N.H. Grocers Association, said the demand for toilet paper and other paper products that grocery stores were experiencing a few weeks ago has shifted to protein products, such as meat. However, while stores are trying to keep up with this demand, customers who weren’t able to get toilet paper during the initial rush are purchasing it now, delaying when those shelves will be at full inventory a lot longer, he said. Purchases of shelf-stable items have also increased, he said. One thing he hasn’t seen a rush for, which customers stock up on every time there is a snowstorm or hurricane, is batteries. 

Fresh produce is one area where New Hampshire grocery stores aren’t lacking, according to Dumais.

“As bare as some shelves are, fresh produce has been plentiful, which is a good thing because you have nutrients there,” he said.

Michael Faber, general manager of the Monadnock Food Co-op in Keene, said Thursday that the demand for food and supplies over the past three to four weeks has put a huge strain on the supply side, mostly at the distribution level.

“Our biggest priority is to have a full selection of products here and have all those basic supplies people are looking for,” he explained.

Store staff have been trying to be more resourceful sourcing products from different places to meet demand, and this has probably been their biggest challenge, he said.

“Everyday staple items we’ve historically gotten in one place, we’re now thinking what other places we can get them from, just to make sure we do our best to have the products available," he said. "We’ve been utilizing various distributors and resources available to us."

At Kulick’s Market in Winchester, it’s the packaged items that don’t spoil — such as pasta, along with bread and meat — that have been flying off the shelves, owner Stanley “Butch” S. Plifka Jr. said Thursday.

He said he and his staff are doing their best to keep shelves stocked, but it’s been a struggle.

“I’ve never seen anything like this,” he said. “Y2K, when that came out, that was supposed to be the end of the world. This is a lot worse. It’s almost like people are panic buying, and people are ugly when we don’t have it.”

He said he has noticed business relax a bit this week, and he believes customers may have gotten what they needed during the past few weeks and are now hunkering down.

After previously closing public schools and prohibiting in-person dining at restaurants, Gov. Chris Sununu announced Thursday afternoon an order encouraging New Hampshire residents to stay home through May 4 and limiting trips outside to getting essential items and exercising. (See related story on page A1.) The order, which takes effect at 11:59 p.m. Friday, also requires nonessential businesses to close until May 4. It follows steps the neighboring New England states of Maine, Massachusetts and Vermont have taken in recent days to combat the spread of COVID-19.

While grocery stores are considered essential businesses under Sununu's directive, how often people will go to them remains to be seen.

“I think it’s all about people’s comfort level,” Barry said. “I think this virus is all about exposure, and the least amount of grocery trips you make, the more you lessen the exposure.”

These stories are being shared by partners in The Granite State News Collaborative. For more information visit collaborativenh.org.