Catalytic converter theft disrupts fresh food deliveries around Kansas City metro
By Krista Tatschl, Chloe Godding
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KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KMBC) — Kanbe’s Markets took a hit overnight when vandals broke into the warehouse parking lot and stole the catalytic converters from five work trucks.
The warehouse had cameras and locked gates, but the vandals cut a hole in the fence to get inside.
“I went out and checked all of them and determined that five of the eight pack truck converters had been sawed off,” said Henry Noth, operations manager for Kanbe’s.
A catalytic converter is an important piece of a vehicle’s exhaust system. Converter theft is a common crime because they are easy to steal and easy to sell. In this instance, it only took the vandals about 10 minutes.
Not only did the theft cause $50,000 in damage, which isn’t entirely covered by insurance, losing the catalytic converters puts a wrench in Kanbe’s usual food distribution. These trucks deliver vital fresh food deliveries to 122 locations around the metro.
Kanbe’s partners with stores in food deserts and installs stand-alone coolers in the stores to offer fresh food, operating on a consignment basis. This system helps provide produce in areas where it is less available.
“We have people in these communities that rely on our coolers, that expect us to be there every weekday, stocking them with fresh produce options,” Noth said. “And when we have to take a truck off the road, some of those stores — all of which are vital to these communities — some of those stores don’t get stocked.”
Now, Kanbe’s is working on solutions to continue its deliveries around the metro.
“Other nonprofits actually offered to let us use their truck for a day yesterday, which kind of helped us in the immediate,” Noth said. “But as far as having a solution for a couple of weeks, we’ll definitely have to go rent trucks. … So we appreciate everything we can get.”
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