What is the impact of COVID-19 on the food supply chain? What is the future of the food industry after COVID-19? Read our report.

Lesaffre’s North American Corporate Office in Milwaukee, Wis. is the first location in the world to achieve certification to AIB International’s new Pandemic Prepared Certification for Corporate Offices. Achieving this certification demonstrates that Lesaffre has prioritized employee health, well-being, and safety, which will build employee confidence and support for their return to working in the office.

It’s been one year since WHO declared COVID-19 a pandemic. Today, vaccines are being distributed allowing us to return to some state of “normal” soon. However, experts say the next pandemic is closer than we think being prepared is critical.

It’s no surprise that in response to the pandemic, many operations implemented new food safety and occupational safety protocols. But, in their pandemic planning, did they negatively impact food safety by forgetting to review existing pre-requisite programs?

Industrial Packaging, a leading packaging company in the food and beverage supply chain based in Webster, Massachusetts, has become the first company in the U.S. to achieve Pandemic Prepared Certification. Their certification provides assurance for their customers that they are committed to establishing and maintaining industry-recognized best practices for supporting food safety, employee health and business continuity.

With COVID-19 rapidly advancing around the globe, suddenly, the food and beverage supply chain had to redefine what business continuity meant and how to navigate what had now become a pandemic. Among the many issues companies were dealing with at the time, most were sent scrambling to gather information and the supplies needed to respond to the pressing threat.

Ask yourself this: before this year, did your Business Continuity Plan include workforce health measures related to pandemic preparedness? If you were like most operations, COVID-19 caught you off guard and you’ve spent the year trying to address its many pitfalls.

Almarai Company, a leading food and beverage company and the world’s largest vertically integrated dairy operation, has become the first company in the world to achieve Pandemic Prepared Certification. This proactive measure is testimony to how their operation prepares for the future with this best-in-class protocol benchmark. Even during the ongoing pandemic, Certification provides assurance to their employees, supply chain and consumers that they are committed to establishing and maintaining best practices.

Everyone recognizes that it’s better to plan for the worst than to make it up as you go in the middle of a crisis.

You’ll be surprised at what even the best food and beverage companies are missing from their pandemic preparedness plans. We were.