Milling & Baking News - March 24, 2020 - 10

UPDATE

Industry groups take action to
ease supply chain disruption
challenges and encourages any baker who
is having similar issues to contact us."
The US Department of Homeland Security declared critical infrastructure industries, including food and agriculture,
is exempt from the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention guidance to ban
gatherings of 50 or more people. Decisions to follow CDC guidance are made
at the state and local level, however, and

©INDUSTRIEBLICK - STOCK.ADOBE.COM

ARLINGTON, VA. - Food industry associations in a March 18 letter urged
federal, state and local leaders for an
exemption from the gathering restrictions and curfews set forth to contain the
COVID-19 outbreak caused by the coronavirus as consumer panic buying wipes
out grocery store shelves.
"Gathering restrictions and curfews are
critical for protecting Americans and helping to flatten the curve, but the unintended consequences of those
efforts could be detrimental to the
production of essential goods for
our fellow Americans," said Geoff
Freeman, president and chief executive officer of the Consumer
Brands Association, Arlington,
Va. "Our industry is working
around the clock to manufacture
the products Americans need
now more than ever. Our supply
chain and production capabilities
are strong, and they will remain
strong so long as we are permitted
to operate at full capacity."
Signatories to the letter include
the American Bakers Association,
the Independent Bakers Association, the
North American Millers' Association and
the National Pasta Association.
Robb MacKie, CEO of the ABA, expressed pride in the cooperative spirit
demonstated by the five dozen food and
beverage groups seeking to work in concert with federal and state officials to
keep supply chains open.
"The baking industry has always been
a key part of America's critical infrastructure. In times of crisis, that fact is amplified," Mr. MacKie said. "We know local
governments understand the importance
of the breadth of our broad and encompassing supply chains. ABA is confident
they will not hinder the fundamental
responsibility of our members to feed
America's families a safe, steady supply of food. ABA is working closely with
its members who are having localized

while some states and localities have
exempted food, beverage and CPG manufacturing facilities, others have not.
"This lack of uniformity is leading to
significant confusion and could further
deteriorate if a level of consistency across
states and municipalities is not achieved
quickly," stated the letter, signed by 60
groups representing food, beverage and
household goods industries.
The letter also asked that essential supply chain components such as ingredient
transportation, warehouses, distribution
centers and retail stores are considered
critical infrastructure and exempt from
the restrictions.
Current supply chain challenges are
due to surging demand, not a lack of
supply, said Doug Baker, vice president
of industry relations for FMI - The Food
Industry Association, Arlington.

Coronavirus-related event closings
to impact J&J Snack Foods
PENNSAUKEN, NJ. - Closings and
anticipated lower attendance and traffic
at places where J&J Snack Foods Corp.
products are sold will adversely affect the
company's operations, the Pennsaukenbased company said March 12.
The coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak
10 / March 24, 2020

Milling & Baking News

in the United States will affect traffic at
schools, stadiums, arenas, movie theaters, amusement parks and restaurants.
Annual company sales at such venues are
about $350 million to $400 million.
J&J Snack Foods, which offers products such as Superpretzel, Icee and Slush

"Our industry has proven itself time
after time in periods of emergency, as evidenced by its strength and confidence in
the ability to meet the needs of the communities it serves, no matter the circumstance," Mr. Baker said. "We are fortunate
to have strong public-private partnerships
with government agencies to ensure our
supply chain remains both nimble and effective. Currently, we are asking for help
to relax regulatory issues to get as many
customers served as they can, specifically
SNAP and WIC customers.
"Our European members have been
tremendously helpful in communicating lessons learned
with us, but we are re-writing
the playbook in this current
environment. Our goal is to
keep Americans fed and our
employees safe."
Access to labor may be a
challenge for the industry.
"We don't know yet what
impacts the virus will have on
the availability of labor across
the food supply chain," said
Lowell Randel, vice president
of government and legal affairs
at Global Cold Chain Alliance,
Arlington. "The food industry
is taking steps to protect their
workforce, but it is important that food
facilities have priority access to testing,
when needed, to ensure that facilities can
maintain a healthy and adequate workforce. Strong cleaning and sanitation protocols are in place across the food industry,
and facilities will need to have continued
access to cleaning/sanitizing products.
"In talking with our colleagues in Europe, they tell us that food facilities are
continuing to operate, but access to labor has been a challenge for some. They
have relayed that the biggest lesson is to
take action quickly to implement social
distancing in facilities to help slow the
spread of the virus.
"Our members in the US are already
adopting strategies for social distancing,
including managing shifts, staggering
breaks and allowing additional time for
cleaning and sanitation." MBN
Puppie, said it was unable to estimate
how great the impact will be on company sales. Companywide, J&J Snack
Foods reported net sales of $1.19 billion
in fiscal year 2019.
"We have and are continuing to develop contingency plans to address and lessen the impact of the effects of coronavirus
on our employees, our customers and our
overall business," said Gerald B. Shreiber,
president and chief executive officer. MBN
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Milling & Baking News - March 24, 2020

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