May 2020 - 5

CONT COVID-19
INUED FROM PAGE 1
vegetable farming was named in a list of
" life-sustaining " jobs that did not have to
close their physical locations.
Food and agriculture fall under " critical
at Superfresh Growers, we continue
to supply safe, fresh and nutritious
Northwest fruit to a world that needs it
more than ever, " Director of Marketing
Mike Preacher told Fruit Growers
News. " The safety of our teams is top
priority, of course, so we are adhering to
recommendations of federal and local
agencies. Despite the challenges, there is
an uplifting sense of service across our
organization, knowing we are helping
communities around the world contend
with this crisis. "
infrastructure, " as described by the
United States Department of Homeland
Security, according fact sheet for growers
distributed by Purdue University.
Farmers and supporting businesses are
expected to maintain operations through
emergency or disaster.
" While it is unrealistic to expect no
impacts from novel coronavirus, people
need to eat, " according to Purdue's
guidance. " Food production and
distribution should continue. "
Food safety precautions
In late March, the new coronavirus was
not widely thought to vector through
food, said Erin DiCaprio, a food
virologist at University of CaliforniaDavis
Cooperative Extension.
" There is still no evidence that SARSCoV-2
is transmitted by food, " she said
March 23.
Growers still need to exercise caution,
DiCaprio added.
" Food handlers and growers are to
follow good manufacturing practices
or good handling practices (as they
already should be) to minimize
contamination of food by ill workers, "
she said. " It is critically important that
workers showing any symptoms of
COVID-19 or who have recent contact
with someone that has COVID-19 not
work with food. "
evidence a sick-food-worker event
had led to any additional coronavirusrelated
illnesses. But, she added there
was the potential.
" The virus can survive on surfaces, so
if a sick person were to sneeze or cough
on food there is a chance the virus
could be present on the food when it
reaches the consumer, " she said.
Flexible marketing
Meanwhile in the industry, matching
supply with the population's needs has
been a challenge.
" The supply chain is strained to
keep up with demand at the retail
See COVID-19, page 6
DiCaprio said so far there was no
Veterans nursing home donation..
It was the same for many other growers
of specialty crops.
Optimum Agriculture, a multinational
company that manages farmland and
agricultural operations in several
countries, was concerned about its
operations in the Southeast U.S., where it
grows watermelons, citrus and a variety of
vegetables in Florida and Georgia.
Gaston Marquevich, CEO of
Optimum Agriculture, said March 24
it was meeting a variety of challenges.
Agricultural labor was a concern. The
company had some import activities,
and restrictions at the border had been
tightened. Even in the office, essential
staff's routines changed drastically.
" We're following all recommendations
in terms of not having any meetings in
the office, " he said. " We're not bringing
in any outside people. Of course, it's
not normal. "
Nevertheless, he was determined to
continue the production of fruits and
vegetables.
" I think the key is, food supply is
essential, " he said.
Government recognition
Government officials at the federal,
state and local levels agreed, marking
agriculture and other food-production
activities as exempt from shelter-in-place
orders and other restrictions meant to
slow the spread of the virus.
At the local level, farms and related
food work were exempted from a
March 17 shelter-in-place order in
Monterey County, California, one of
the country's most prolific specialty
crop production areas.
Several state orders, like the March 19
order by Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf,
also recognized the importance of food
production. In Pennsylvania, fruit and
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VGN | MAY 2020 | 5

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May 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of May 2020