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John Soules Foods donated 168,000 pounds of prepared chicken and beef products to the East Texas Food Bank in its hometown of Tyler, Texas, near Dallas, and an additional 37,400 pounds to the Montgomery County Food Bank in Conroe, Texas, near Houston. 

US Foods has donated more than $10 million in food and supplies to local food banks and charitable organizations across the country since the beginning of March. The donations include items such as meat, dairy, produce and other non-food supplies. Given the impacts of COVID-19, many food banks are struggling to meet the increasing needs of their communities as more Americans seek support. According to Feeding America, school closures, rising unemployment and rising poverty due to stay-at-home orders will disproportionately impact people already at risk of hunger and could result in an estimated additional 17.1 million people experiencing food insecurity.

The Port of Mobile’s newest refrigerated cargo facility is on track for an early 2021 opening at one of the nation’s fastest growing container ports. The facility is located outside the gates of the seaport’s container terminal operated by APM Terminals and has immediate access to I-10. The distribution center will be one of the largest of its kind in the Southeast. Its proximity to the container terminal and max loading capabilities will not only add value but help customers reduce their carbon footprint by limiting the number of trucks on the road. 

The Consumer Brands Association is launching the Critical Infrastructure Supply Chain Council (CISCC), a coordinated effort of more than 35 trade associations committed to addressing both long- and short-term supply chain challenges and weaknesses, including those made apparent by the coronavirus pandemic.

Tyson Fresh Meats, the beef and pork subsidiary of Tyson Foods, announced it will resume limited production at its Waterloo, Iowa, facility on Thursday, May 7. Team members have been invited to tour the facility Wednesday to view the enhanced safety precautions and protective social distancing measures installed throughout the plant.

Carrier Transicold is providing a Model 35X direct-drive refrigeration unit to Gleaners Community Food Bank of Southeastern Michigan. The unit will be used to support the School Food Mobile program, which delivers food and milk to school-aged children who are not receiving meals at school due to coronavirus-related closures. Separately, Carrier Transicold is donating a Supra 950 truck refrigeration unit for a new 28-foot box truck that will support Gleaners’ expanded emergency response efforts, including 66 new drive-up food distribution sites, modeled after Gleaners’ School Food Mobile program. 

Del Monte is launching a new line of vegetarian pocket pies under its Veggieful brand, scheduled to arrive on store shelves May 25. Veggieful Pocket Pies come in four different flavors: Broccoli Potato Cheddar, Spinach Artichoke Parmesan, Plant-Based Philly Cheesesteak, and Rosemary Garlic Plant-Based Chicken.

I read the recent quarterly reports from Tyson and Sysco (Q2, and Q3, respectively) and both reflect the deep impact of restaurant, hotel, catering and other volume foodservice shutdowns on each of their businesses (and by extension, the cold foods supply chain) due to COVID-19. Here are my thoughts on the future of foodservice and what companies along the cold chain can do prepare for it. 

Recently, 100 volunteers from Bellisio Foods, the largest employer in Jackson County, shared more than 90,000 meals from drive-through distribution centers at Oak Hill High School, Jackson High School and Vinton County High School. A total of more than 2,500 vehicles each received two cases (or 36 meals), bringing the total number of meals donated to Southern Ohioans by Bellisio Foods in the past month to more than 175,000.

Treeline Treenut Cheeses draw on traditional dairy-cheese making methods by fermenting creamy cashew nuts with a healthy probiotic, known as L. Acidophilus. They are kosher, soy-free, gluten-free, Paleo-friendly, and provide dietary fiber, which is missing from dairy cheese. Treeline recently launched three new spreadable flavors of vegan cream cheese: Plain, Chive & Onion, and Strawberry.