He claimed there are “no shortages” at stores but people are “buying three-to-five times what they normally buy.”

On the call with top grocers, food manufacturers and agribusinesses, Trump said stores can help Americans “feel calm and safe when shelves are stocked with the items they need” amid the outbreak, according to a readout provided by the White House.

Leslie Sarasin, president of FMI, the food industry association formerly known as the Food Marketing Institute, said the administration and industry are on the same page about making sure that “stores can stay open and stocked."

Kroger, the country’s largest supermarket chain, said it is working with suppliers to more quickly replenish scarce items. Texas-based chain H-E-B is limiting purchases of food items from canned soup and beans to milk, eggs and chicken.

Whole Foods is suspending its food sampling. Giant is urging customers to bring their own shopping bags because of the strain on its own supplies.

Sarasin added that retailers are also “seeking to be sensitive to the needs of all our customers and partners, including our WIC and SNAP shoppers and the food banks our stores support,” referring to the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as food stamps.

Greg Ferrara, president of the National Grocers Association, assured the public that its members have dealt with emergencies, namely natural disasters.