NRF Welcomes Necessary Aid as Biden Unveils Stimulus Plan

The National Retail Federation issued the following statement from President and CEO Matthew Shay in response to the release of President-elect Biden’s plan to combat the coronavirus and stimulate the nation’s economic recovery.

“The stimulus plan released by President-elect Biden is expansive in scope, but it serves as an encouraging signal that the new administration intends swift action to support businesses and...

Meat and Poultry Worker COVID-19 Case Rates Five Times Lower in December than May

New analysis of independent data for 2020 show that reported new COVID-19 infection rates amongst meat and poultry workers were five times lower in December than in May, while rates in the general population rocketed up by nine times in the same period.

According to data from the Food and Environment Reporting Network (FERN), the meat and poultry sector was reported to have an average of 19.91 new reported cases per 100,000 workers per...

Tyson Foods Partners with Matrix to Ensure Employees have Access to the COVID-19 Vaccine

Tyson Foods is partnering with Matrix Medical Network, a leading clinical services company, to ensure the company’s U.S. team members are educated about and have access to the COVID-19 vaccines.

Matrix will collaborate with Tyson Foods’ health services team to deploy mobile health clinics and expert clinical staff to support vaccine communications, administration and counseling at Tyson Foods facilities beginning in early 2021 and continuing throughout the year. Tyson Foods will provide team members with...

Global Consumer Confidence Improved in Q4

Global consumer confidence increased in the fourth quarter of 2020, driven largely by an improved outlook for personal finances—which, in many regions, reflect unprecedented fiscal measures in response to COVID-19. Prospects for jobs and spending intentions saw smaller improvements in Q4, according to The Conference Board® Global Consumer Confidence Survey.

Conducted in collaboration with Nielsen, the survey found that overall global consumer confidence climbed to 98 in Q4 2020, up six points from 92 in Q2 2020. A reading below 100 is considered...

HHS Announces $22 Billion in Funding to Support Expanded Testing, Vaccination Distribution

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced two upcoming actions by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to provide more than $22 billion in funding to states, localities, and territories in support of the nation’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, as directed by the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act.

Funding will provide critical support for testing and vaccination-related activities to jurisdictions before January 19, 2021...

Grocers Begin Offering the COVID-19 Vaccine

As shipments of the COVID-19 vaccine are being sent out around the United States, grocery chains are preparing to offer the vaccine through their pharmacies. Clearance for immunizations came in December, after the FDA authorized the use of the first COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech SE. The second vaccine to be authorized was developed by Moderna, which the FDA stated can be given to people 18 years of age and older and cited the shot's high effectiveness in preventing COVID-19 in a large clinical study.

Kroger announced it will provide the COVID-19 vaccine nationwide across its 2,200 pharmacies and 220 clinics, partnering with the federal government and state health departments to administer the vaccine in accordance with...

Anti-Meat Activist Poses as Smithfield Foods CEO on National Television 

Last week, animal activist Matt Johnson of Direct Action Everywhere, posed as the CEO of Smithfield Foods during a national television interview with Fox Business host Maria Bartiromo. On December 23, 2020, Bartiromo thought she was speaking with Smithfield Foods CEO Dennis Organ. However, she and her audience were being misled. 

During the interview, Johnson blamed animal agriculture for new infectious diseases and made false claims that the Centers for Disease Control has data proving that the livestock industry would...

COVID-19 Case Rates for Meat and Poultry Workers More than 8 Times Lower than General Population

New analysis of independent data for the full month of November show that reported new COVID-19 infection rates amongst meat and poultry workers were more than 8 times lower than rates in the general population.

According to data from the Food and Environment Reporting Network (data), the meat and poultry sector was reported to have an average of 5.57 new cases per 100,000 workers per day in November. Infection rates amongst meat and poultry workers have declined steeply in the last six months, while...

CDC Agrees: Frontline Meat and Poultry Workers High Priority for COVID-19 Vaccination

Frontline meat and poultry workers should be amongst the first to be vaccinated after health care workers and those in long-term care facilities, according to federal guidance approved by the Centers for Disease Control’s (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Priority (ACIP).

Meat Institute President and CEO Julie Anna Potts applauded ACIP’s guidance and urged state governments to follow CDC’s decision:

"Priority access to vaccines is a critical step for the long-term safety of the selfless frontline meat and poultry workers who have...

China’s Shifting Retail Landscape Signals the Permanence of Change Post-COVID-19

China’s rebound from COVID-19 has been unique. It came faster and with more demonstrable economic tailwinds for the economy than other markets. But it has also been a bellwether that has helped point to consumer behaviors elsewhere that have inevitably followed China’s lead. An example is the rebalancing of retail playing out around the world.

Pandemic-led shifts to further online adoption and an increased focus on neighborhood and small-format stores have become an ongoing normal. Though different to other markets, China helps us understand...

Meat and Poultry Industry Calls for Prioritization of Workers to Receive COVID-19 Vaccine

The meat industry is calling on the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and state governments to prioritize essential meat and poultry workers, their families, and co-habitants, for the COVID-19 vaccine as part of Phase 1b of distribution.

Perdue Farms has offered resources to assist the CDC and states in this effort, recognizing that a successful vaccine program will require a partnership between government and private industry. Perdue Farms mentioned that many meat and poultry industry workers, including its associates, live in one state but...

FDA Issues Emergency Use Authorization for First COVID-19 Vaccine

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued the first emergency use authorization (EUA) for a vaccine for the prevention of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in individuals 16 years of age and older. The emergency use authorization allows the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine to be distributed in the U.S.

“The FDA’s authorization for emergency use of the first COVID-19 vaccine is a significant milestone in battling this devastating pandemic that has affected so many families in the United States and around the world,” said FDA Commissioner Stephen M. Hahn, M.D. “Today’s action follows an open and transparent...

A Look at Potential Regulatory Impacts on the Meat Industry Ahead of Biden Presidency

In the final session of the North American Meat Institute’s Post-Election Outlook Series, the discussion revolved around the regulatory implications of the incoming Biden Administration. A pair of experts explored what companies will have in store from a compliance perspective.

Carmen Rottenberg, former Administrator for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s Food Safety and Inspection Service and the Managing Director for Groundswell Strategy and Christopher DeLacy, Partner, Holland & Knight were the panelists for the discussion...

Whose Workers Are Most Essential? Meatpackers, Airlines Lobby for Covid-19 Vaccine Priority

The arrival of Covid-19 vaccines is sending big industries jostling to persuade public-health officials and state leaders that their workers are more essential than others.

Leaders in the food, restaurant, aviation and utility industries are calling on state and federal authorities to give their workers priority access to the shots, arguing that their employees are needed to keep the economy running and face high risks of contracting the virus. Though the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued guidance on which Americans should be first in line for the initial doses, state governors have the final say—meaning the makeup of the priority line could vary widely by state...

After Healthcare Workers, Essential Meat and Poultry Workers High Priority for COVID Vaccine

The North American Meat Institute (Meat Institute) urged federal authorities to highly prioritize COVID-19 vaccination for the men and women who work in the meat and poultry industry, following healthcare workers and those in long term care facilities.

Meat Institute President and CEO Julie Anna Potts commented:

"The men and women of the meat and poultry industry help keep America’s grocery stores stocked and our farm economy working. They should be...