COVID-19 NEWS
March 12, 2020
Thank you all for your continued partnership and belief in us as your fresh produce provider. With the rise in anxiety and concern over the past few days, we want to assure you we are doing everything in our power to prevent any disruption in service. We know the food service industry will undergo pressure, and we will be here with you, through the entire journey.
At Taylor Boys’ Produce, Inc., the health and safety of our customers and employees is our top priority. Like all businesses, we are closely monitoring the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. As information becomes available from the CDC and other industry experts, we are adapting our policies and procedures to ensure the health and safety of our employees and customers. We wanted to provide you with an update on actions we are taking in response to the outbreak.
It is important that we remember that COVID-19 has not been linked specifically to food products. The FDA’s website answers several questions in regards to this:
Q: Are food products produced in the United States a risk for the spread of COVID-19?
A: There is no evidence to suggest that food produced in the United States can transmit COVID-19.
Q: Can I get sick with COVID-19 from touching food, the food packaging, or food contact surfaces, if the coronavirus was present on it?
A: Currently there is no evidence of food or food packaging being associated with transmission of COVID-19. Like other viruses, it is possible that the virus that causes COVID-19 can survive on surfaces or objects. For that reason, it is critical to follow the 4 key steps of food safety -clean, separate, cook, and chill.
As a company that is dedicated to food safe practices and certified by PrimusGFS, we continue to make sure our rigorous GMPs and SOPs are strictly followed and have put additional measures into place that include:
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In addition to our current practice of sanitizing the trucks at the end of every route we are equipping our drivers with sanitation supplies in all trucks to sanitize the cab area frequently. Hand trucks will be sanitized frequently as well.
•Reinforcing our existing training on effective hand washing and the use of personal protective equipment.
•Employees are asked to clean and sanitize their cell phones daily.
•Reminding employees to stay home from work if they are sick, and staying home until they are symptom free for 24 hours without the aid of medication.
•Non-punitive leave policies in place so that employees can be at home while sick or to care for sick family members.
•Implementing heightened facility sanitation practices, which includes making sure restrooms, break room, and frequently touched surfaces such as door knobs are sanitized often.
•We are closing our facilities to any visitors and canceling work trips and events for the foreseeable future.
•Sales team members are asked to not make any onsite visits for the foreseeable future.
•Planning for limited available staff by bolstering cross training, planning flexible work scheduling, and testing remote desktops to ensure managers can work from home.
We are making every effort to keep it business as usual for our customers, and encourage you to reach out to us with any questions, concerns, or requests.
Sincerely,
Taylor Boys’ Produce, Inc.
