Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Unused Crops, Hungry Masses: Food System's Supply-And-Demand Drill Flipped Upside Down
Los Angeles Times: How Coronavirus Outbreak Upended The Entire U.S. Food System
Near downtown Los Angeles, a meat processing plant ramped up production even as it worked to keep frontline employees separated from one another. In Salinas, Calif., a lettuce grower hustled to redirect supply after being forced to plow under unused crops. In the Bay Area, a food distributor that previously served restaurants started selling produce boxes directly to consumers. Near the Mexico border, a food bank expanded distribution to meet an explosion of need. And in Hollywood, a nonprofit that has served sit-down meals to homeless people for 33 years shifted to takeout. (Rector, 5/5)
Politico: USDA To Buy $470M Of Produce, Dairy And Seafood
The Agriculture Department said Monday that it will spend $470 million to buy more surplus food amid the widespread disruption to the food supply as a result of the coronavirus. The move comes a week after POLITICO reported the department had been slow to make such purchases even though demand at food banks has surged. The purchases will target fruits and vegetables, meat, dairy and seafood — which have seen their markets turned upside down as restaurants and other food service businesses have closed. (Evich, 5/4)
The Associated Press: Where's The Beef? Production Shutdown Leads To Shortages
The effects of the coronavirus pandemic have moved beyond meat processing plants and are now hitting dinner plates. Several U.S. production plants have been temporarily shuttered in the last two weeks after hundreds of workers were sickened by the virus. That has led to meat shortages, with Wendy’s pulling some burgers off its menus and Costco limiting pork sales. Fake meat companies, meanwhile, are making their moves to capture some of those lost sales. (Durbin, 5/5)
Reuters: Tyson Foods To Resume Limited Production At Largest U.S. Pork Plant
The company said all employees returning to work had been tested for COVID-19 and that any employee who tested positive would remain on sick leave until released by health officials to return to work. The statement did not provide further details. Tyson Foods has also increased short-term disability coverage for employees to 90% of normal pay until June 30, the company said, adding that it had performed an additional deep clean and sanitization of the entire facility while the plant was idled. (5/5)
The Hill: Over Half Of Workforce At Tyson Plant In Iowa Tests Positive For Coronavirus
More than half of the workforce at a Tyson Foods pork processing plant in Perry, Iowa, has tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. The Iowa Department of Public Health reported on Tuesday that a total of 730 workers at the plant had contracted the virus, representing 58 percent of its staff, according to local news reports. The department also noted that more than 1,600 workers at four meatpacking plants across the state had suffered infections. (Wise, 5/5)
WBUR: Meatpacking Workers Are Struggling To Protect Themselves During The Pandemic
Meatpacking workers are scared to work as the coronavirus ravages plants. Many of them are immigrants or refugees, and language and cultural barriers make protecting themselves more challenging. (Payne, 5/5)
