How Is the Coronavirus Affecting Food Safety, Oversight, and Supplies?
Start of Coronavirus Pandemic:
The beginning of the pandemic saw Americans being extremely paranoid, as demonstrated by the hilarious images of people stockpiling toilet paper rolls. Today the pandemic looks very different. A lot of lives have been lost to this deadly disease and a lot of loss continues to occur because of this modern plague. Due to misinformation and lack of confirmed sources, the beginning of the pandemic saw rapid rumor-mongering, like the fear that the infection could spread through meat and food items.
Impact on Food Industry:
To the question, can COVID-19 spread through food? According to World Health Organization and several other experts that have been conducting experiments, the answer continues to remain, no. The food supply chain was predicted to be hit drastically due to the pandemic but many experts have noted that the system continues to stay strong in the United States of America. Earlier, these food supply chains, especially the manufacturers of processed meat were feared to be the most adversely affected. Many workers contracted the virus, some even succumbed to it. Ever since the production, companies shut down for some time but they now seem to have come back better than before. Many food-production companies like Tyson foods have come out in public to speak about the troubles they have faced and the new measures that they have taken. Tyson's foods have reiterated that they have started taking the temperatures of all their workers, they have increased the attention given to cleanliness and sanitation, and followed the strict protocols regarding social distancing.
Food supply chains are under the scanner from both sides. They are among the largest production forces in the United States of America and hence they give employment to a considerably large number of people. However, the working conditions are such that their processes are also now under scrutiny as everyone is worried about the rising number of cases and deaths in the country because of the deadly virus. Amidst all this, it is amazing how effectively these supply chains have established new norms that have given many industries a perspective on how they should go ahead and establish their own new normal. These supply chains have adopted healthy and safe methods such as no contact deliveries, safe packaging, and regular sanitization to ensure that no one from their community succumbs to the disease out of negligence.
Initially, the scare was so real that despite continued food production in meat factories, Americans were facing meat shortages. This was because the meat was being shipped abroad in fear of loss of livelihood. Workers in farms and the agriculture sector claim that they are yet to face any looming sense of disruption. The general consensus is such that several farm workers might have contracted the virus but could have recovered over time without medical treatment. It is difficult to ascertain the casualties in such a situation. Regardless, many workers all over the country have protested about the production facilities being unsafe regardless of the release of several essential guidelines by the World Health Organization and others. In America, there is an urgent need to connect the foodservice supply chain with that of the supermarket supply chain so that our systems do not become so fragile upon the arrival of a calamity. These supply chains continue to operate but the future seems uncertain and unpredictable, especially for those that continue to be on the margins of the system.
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