Winter is on our doorstep and we need to prepare for a long battle against COVID-19 while keeping businesses afloat and people safe. The imposition of lockdown measures may be required in areas experiencing high positivity rates and where health professionals predict hospitalizations will exceed capacity.  However, there is a middle path where concerns over health and safety gain priority in concert with keeping businesses open.

Frozen food processors are looking to increase security and limit the number of people who can enter plants to protect the food and help manage COVID-19.

Constant changes, huge swings in demand or shifts in consumer behavior, employee safety, and a general uncertainty about what comes next are all present in the 2020 State of Food Manufacturing Survey.

Looking back on what we’ll call 2020 B.C. (Before Coronavirus), the pipeline for cold storage construction was already robust and healthy. According to research by commercial real estate firm CBRE, overall industrial construction—which encompasses cold storage, along with warehouses, distribution centers, manufacturing facilities, self-storage, office and flex space—was at 298 million square feet (MSF) before COVID-19, bolstered by the ongoing rise of e-commerce. 

OSHA and FDA have developed a checklist for human and animal food manufacturers to consider when continuing, resuming or reevaluating operations due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has signed an alliance with the North American Meat Institute (NAMI) to provide information, guidance and access to training resources for protecting workers in the meatpacking and processing industry from exposures to the coronavirus.

Prevent dust explosions with proper education, training and building/equipment design.

With employee safety and stability of operations at the forefront of all of your daily procedures, these are the two key elements of effective COVID-19 prevention that food manufacturing companies need to adhere to.