Americans Should Brace For Some Minor Disruptions In Food Chain As Processing Plant Workers Fall Ill
Industry experts insist that the disruptions will be more a matter of inconvenience--such as not having the same amount of variety--rather than severe shortages. Meanwhile, the increased demand from shoppers strains food banks just when they need resources the most. And Amazon fires two employees who were outspoken critics of the company's warehouse conditions.
The New York Times:
U.S. Food Supply Chain Is Strained As Virus Spreads
The nation’s food supply chain is showing signs of strain, as increasing numbers of workers are falling ill with the coronavirus in meat processing plants, warehouses and grocery stores. The spread of the virus through the food and grocery industry is expected to cause disruptions in production and distribution of certain products like pork, industry executives, labor unions and analysts have warned in recent days. The issues follow nearly a month of stockpiling of food and other essentials by panicked shoppers that have tested supply networks as never before. (Corkery and Yaffe-Bellanay, 4/13)
The Associated Press:
Virus Closes Some Meat Plants, Raising Fears Of Shortages
Some massive meat processing plants have closed at least temporarily because their workers were sickened by the new coronavirus, raising concerns that there could soon be shortages of beef, pork and poultry in supermarkets. The meat supply chain is especially vulnerable since processing is increasingly done at massive plants that butcher tens of thousands of animals daily, so the closure of even a few big ones can quickly be felt by customers. (Funk, 4/13)
The New York Times:
Food Workers Say C.D.C. Guidelines Put Them At Greater Risk For Infection
Lisa Harris, a cashier at a Kroger grocery store in Virginia, was surprised last week when a customer offered her a $5 bill as a tip. Ms. Harris, a Kroger employee for 13 years, cited store policy in declining the generous offer. The woman was clearly disappointed that she could not do more.“She looked at me and said, ‘I just want to show you how grateful I am for what you do,’” Ms. Harris said. (Waldstein, 4/13)
ProPublica:
How Panic Buying Has Put An Incredible Strain On Food Banks Even As The Need For Them Explodes
For Carlos Rodriguez, CEO of the Community FoodBank of New Jersey, the spike in demand has been as dramatic as the arrival of the coronavirus. In a normal year, Rodriguez’s organization provides food for some 50 million meals through a network of 1,000 pantries, food kitchens and other affiliates. But the pandemic meant that some of his bigger food pantries saw 50% more traffic almost overnight. And people who had previously donated food were now, for the first time in their lives, asking for help feeding their families. (Raghavendran and McCarthy, 4/13)
Reuters:
Trump Administration To Unveil $15.5 Billion First Phase Of Coronavirus Farm Aid: Sources
The U.S. Department of Agriculture will spend up to $15.5 billion in the initial phase of its plan to bolster the nation’s food supply chain against the impacts of the coronavirus outbreak, according to three sources familiar with the matter. (Huffstutter, 4/13)
Reuters:
Amazon Fires Two Employees Critical Of Warehouse Working Conditions
Amazon.com Inc said on Tuesday it terminated two employees, who criticized the working conditions at the e-commerce giant’s warehouses in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, for “repeatedly violating internal policies”. The termination of Emily Cunningham and Maren Costa, who worked as user-experience designers in Seattle, came in a couple of weeks after the company fired another employee Christian Smalls for raising health and safety concerns for people laboring through the outbreak. (4/14)
The Washington Post:
Amazon Fired Two Outspoken Critics Of Its Climate Policies Amid Their Support For Warehouse Staff
The virus has spread widely, infecting workers in at least 74 warehouses and delivery facilities across the country, according to Amazon and media reports. Some warehouse workers have staged small demonstrations in response. One of the fired workers, Emily Cunningham, a user experience designer who is part of the group Amazon Employees for Climate Justice, had offered on Twitter to match donations up to $500 to Amazon warehouse workers. She said a "'lack of safe and sanitary working conditions’ puts them and the public at risk.” (Greene, 4/14)
The Wall Street Journal:
Amazon To Expand Shipments Of Nonessential Items, Continue Adding Staff
Amazon.com Inc. will begin allowing third-party sellers on its platform to resume shipping so-called nonessential items this week, a signal that the company is ramping up to meet broader consumer needs, according to people familiar with the matter. Last month, Amazon made a decision to prioritize at its warehouses those items deemed essential during the coronavirus outbreak, such as cleaning products, health-care items and shelf-stable food. (Mattioli, 4/13)
NBC News:
As Deaths Mount, Delivery Workers Say They're Kept In The Dark Over Who's Sick
Rumors about the manager with the virus started to spread around Worldport, UPS' sprawling air hub in Louisville, Kentucky, earlier this month. Employees texted one another to ask whether they'd heard about Roml Ellis, the well-liked 55-year-old who worked the night shift. They'd heard he was sick, that he'd been hospitalized and then that he'd died. UPS employees said that despite asking management repeatedly about their sick co-worker, they were kept in the dark as the company cited medical privacy concerns. (Seville and Kaplan, 4/14)
