Coronavirus

In a video call with BevNET editor-in-chief Jeff Klineman, Adnan Durrani, the CEO of American Halal, the maker of the Saffron Road line of meals and snacks, gave strategic insight into the challenges of operating a large food and beverage company during these chaotic times, which Saffron Road — and other food and beverage brands — are currently experiencing.

As it becomes more unclear just how long Americans will have to embrace social distancing, two more food and beverage conferences have decided to change course. Both the The Sweets & Snacks Expo, which was scheduled May 18-21, as well as Specialty Coffee Expo, which was scheduled for April 24-26, have been cancelled

Under careful self-scrutiny due to the spread of the novel coronavirus, food producers, regardless of size, are having to rethink their production, supply chain and distribution efforts to keep up with increased demand from consumers and retailers while balancing the safety of their employees. Large producers, in particular, are having to change production paradigms while also answering the call to give back and assist employees and communities in need.

The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA), which was signed into law last week, was designed to provide an option for employees to take paid leave due coronavirus-related illness, quarantine or loss of childcare. But, while they are supportive of the bill, some food and beverage company CEOs are also concerned about keeping their manufacturing facilities staffed. Some say they are scrambling for other ways to help families cope while still staffing their production lines.

As the COVID-19 pandemic forces businesses around the world to close for the foreseeable future, food and beverage brands have found many traditional routes to market in brick and mortar retail have suddenly shuttered. The global lockdown has made ecommerce (along with grocery and drug channels) more vital than ever in sustaining sales during an uncertain economic period.

On the manufacturing lines and in the office, the CPG industry is being forced to make adjustments. Over the past week, BevNET and NOSH edit staff reached out to brands and distributors across the food and beverage to hear about how they are grappling with the effects of the global COVID-19 pandemic as it ripples across the country.

In the past few days, the FDA has released new information to answer coronavirus (COVID-19) concerns within the food industry, via official statements, a new FAQ page, and a stakeholder call addressing manufacturing, the food supply and worker safety.

While the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 continues to rise worldwide, the food and beverage industry has been forced to swiftly adjust to the crisis. Just as consumers have changed their shopping habits by racing to grocery stores to stock up before indefinite periods of self-quarantine, many brands and entrepreneurs have fast begun tailoring their messaging to comment on the virus. Others are seizing the moment to promote products with immunity boosting properties, through social media posts, press releases and eblasts.

Oakland, California-based plant-based meat company Impossible Foods today announced the close of an approximately $500 million Series F funding round, led by South Korea-based firm Mirae Asset Global Investments. To-date, the company has raised to nearly $1.3 billion, including $300 million closed last May.

An aid package that includes help for employees of small businesses is making its way through Congress as the coronavirus pandemic known as COVID-19 spreads across the U.S.