Facing the challenges of coronavirus
It has been a week of monumental transformation as we all, globally, face the challenges of coronavirus.
Following the Government’s guidance, we have put protective measures in place to ensure our teams are kept safe, and we can provide our customers with continuity of service and product.
These measures include:
- Where possible, our team members are working from home, with our offices still open and staff operating on a rota basis.
- Social distancing and strict hygiene measures are in place in our office environment.
- All non-essential travel and customer site visits are suspended, with meetings being conducted via video conferencing or telephone.
All enquiries and orders can be placed with us as per standard procedures, as we remain fully operational.
If you are a customer, supplier, or partner, we understand you will also face challenges during these uncertain times and will need to make changes to your own operations.
We will continue to support you to ensure continuity of supply where possible. To assist us in this, the consistency of communication is critical.
With this in mind, we ask you to manage your procurement operations with as much foresight as possible to allow us to react and manage our supply chains.
We hold significant stock here in the UK, and many of our customers have pipeline stock agreements in place, helping us to navigate and mitigate the effects of an uncertain demand/supply model.
Through communication, we will be able to meet your needs during this period. Talk to us today to discuss your requirements.
In other news:
Observations from the aisles
Lightly packaged bread does not appear to be high on people’s shopping lists. Or so Elisabeth Skoda observed during supermarket visits. The Editor of Packaging Europe presumed it was due to the longer shelf life and perceived safety of packaged bread.
We also noticed that unpackaged red peppers seem to remain, again perhaps reflecting a desire to buy packaged produce.
Of course, none would be available without the workers involved in food production, processing, distribution, sale, and delivery. Now, more than ever, we see the value of these “key workers” – as identified by the Government – and the importance of an efficient supply of food into our supermarkets.
Read Elisabeth’s observations >>
Supermarkets hire ‘army of workers’
The Grocer reports that Briton’s have spent £60m on stockpiling in the first week of the coronavirus panic. Editor at LinkedIn, Natalie MacDonald, rounds up what’s been happening in the UK food retail sector.
Read more here >>
Coronavirus remains stable on surfaces
Coronavirus remains stable on surfaces, according to new research. The virus that causes coronavirus disease was detectable for up to two or three days on plastic and stainless steel. What does this mean for food manufacturing facilities?
More about the research >>
And in "other" news…
To wrap it up this week, we’d like to wish good health in the weeks and months ahead for all our staff, customers, suppliers, partners, and their families.
After a week of change and concern for everyone around the world, we’d like to leave you with this uplifting article from the BBC, published this morning.
Reasons to find hope: creativity, kindness and canals offer hope amid outbreak >>
From the KM team... enjoy your weekend.