The food industry relies on proven hygiene concepts and wants to successfully stand up to Omikron. Massive failures of employees or goods bottlenecks are to be avoided.
The food industry in Germany is preparing for the feared explosive spread of the Corona variant Omikron with pandemic plans.
The priority is to protect the health of employees, “so that food production can also be maintained,” said the chief executive of the German Food Association, Christoph Minhoff, of the German press agency. The food industry is part of the critical infrastructure.
«Although there is no guarantee that there will be no stoppages in the production process if employees have to be quarantined, we can assure you that we as an industry are doing everything in our power to prevent the spread of the coronavirus through preventive operational measures and now to prevent the Omikron variant, “said Minhoff.
The companies worked closely with the respective health authorities to protect the health of their employees. Minhoff reported that they implemented individual measures, offered vaccinations at an early stage, set up their own test centers at the production facilities and created pandemic plans that would be adapted to the situation. Wherever possible, the obligation to work from home has also been reintroduced.
Lots of food preproduced
If employees should be absent due to quarantine, this would not necessarily result in supply problems, stressed Minhoff. Long-life foods such as pasta, rice, frozen products or canned food are pre-produced in large quantities and can be called up. In addition, in many areas there is not just one, but many providers who can compensate for possible delivery problems.
With a view to the retail sector, the general manager of the HDE industry association, Stefan Genth, pointed out that the industry has been successfully implementing hygiene concepts since the beginning of the pandemic. Studies by the trade association for trade and goods logistics and the Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health have confirmed that there is no increased risk of infection for employees in trade. “Compliance with the tried and tested hygiene rules in retail is the key, also with a view to new Corona variants, in order to prevent increased numbers of sick people and staff shortages,” said Genth.
Source From: Stern
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
