Coronavirus Resources

Reports of individuals contracting COVID-19 via consuming frozen foods, or via handling frozen food packaging have not been scientifically validated.

More than a dozen public health authorities from around the world, including the World Health Organization (WHO), U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), along with leading food safety experts, all agree that there is no evidence of the spread of COVID-19 through consumption of food or food packaging, and no known cases of foodborne COVID-19.

COVID-19 is a respiratory ailment, not a foodborne one. Learn more here.

While there are a number of preventative steps and actions that you should take, AFFI recommends that all companies do the following:

1. Use the resources and recommendations on this page to create a plan that prioritizes worker safety.
2. Provide all workers with personal protective equipment (PPE) like face masks, shields and gloves and require their use.
3. Proactively contact your local health department and build a relationship with them now.

1. Send the employee home immediately.
2. Encourage employee to contact their local health department and healthcare provider.
3. Identify potentially exposed individuals and clean and disinfect appropriate areas. Unless advised by local authorities, other individuals in the facility should not be considered high risk for infection and may continue working.
4. Employee may be able to return to work when they have not had a fever for at least 72 hours since recovery and when other symptoms such as cough, shortness of breath have improved.
5. Because transmission occurs from person to person, a facility does not need to shut down as a result of an employee, visitor, or other individual testing positive for COVID-19 if this protocol is addressed.

At this time, FDA does not intend to object to the sale of packaged food (both perishable and non-perishable food) that lacks a Nutrition Facts label and or retail packaging, provided that the food does not have any nutrition claims and contains the following required information on the label, including:

1. A statement of identity
2. An ingredient statement
3. The name and place of business of the food manufacturer, packer, or distributor
4. Net quantity of contents
5. Allergen information required by the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act

Additional Labeling & Foodservice Guidance

AFFI has consulted with its legal counsel Hogan Lovells to address many of the employee and human resource issues that your company might encounter related to COVID-19.

Employee & HR Resources

AFFI has compiled resources on sanitation, and good hygiene as well as guidance from the CDC, Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Small Business Administration for food facilities. 

Facility Management Resources

1. Inform your local authorities that your facility will remain operational as part of the critical infrastructure of this country. Provide them with this guidance from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that defines the industries, including our broad food industry, considered critical.
2. Inform your workforce of the importance of keeping our food system operating and that includes your company, as part of our nation’s critical infrastructure. Encourage and recognize them for continuing to work.
3. Provide your workforce with “certification” that they are employed by your company and as such, should be exempt from local restrictions such as curfews, shelter-in-place orders, and other mobility restrictions when reporting to/from work, or performing work functions. For this purpose, you may use this self-certification template for transportation employees and food and agriculture employees on your company letterhead. The language can be modified to suit your company’s needs.