The closures of restaurants, hotels, and schools have left growers with heaps of fresh produce without a destination. With crops often grown exclusively for the foodservice industry, growers who produce crops with a large percentage of production destined for this vital market segment are faced with incredible challenges amidst COVID-19 closures. 

United Fresh and a number of industry partners presented to the U.S. Department of Agriculture a comprehensive Produce Market Stabilization Program to immediately support critical financial needs in the produce supply chain. This was a major undertaking to understand the wide-ranging financial impact this crisis is having on our entire industry.

We’re continuing to work on the simultaneous priorities to support you in keeping the fresh produce supply chain moving, and driving financial relief for those most affected by this crisis.

In disruptive times we often see the most creative and empathetic solutions rise to the surface. Across the country, fresh produce growers are donating food to feed their communities, fresh produce distributors are developing new models to redirect their restaurant business while also supporting local food banks, shelters and other essential businesses, and school nutrition professionals are still providing meals to millions of students on a daily basis, ensuring access to healthy foods while school is closed.

Despite the effective shutdown of the foodservice sector, we have to continue feeding America. The partnerships and cooperation across our industry to achieve that goal are inspiring. Here are a few of the steps our association and our food partners have taken to keep our supply chain open.

Since the emergence of the COVID-19, Fresh Del Monte Produce has activated its Global Executive Crisis Management team and regional response teams so that it can continuously stay abreast of the situation and communicate the latest developments, proactively monitoring and adjusting business processes and procedures as necessary to ensure business continuity.

Thank you for your continued amazing effort to keep the food supply chain moving to feed Americans. As I’ve said many times these past few days to government, the media and even our own members, it’s unfathomable to be shifting as much as 40% to 50% of the food supply from the foodservice channel to retail outlets. And that’s in the midst of a crisis that is telling people to stay home, shutting institutions that facilitate our supply chain, and ignoring that the very companies essential to putting food on the table are bleeding cash needed to stay in business.