IGD has been bringing the grocery industry together amid the coronavirus outbreak, engaging with retailers, manufacturers, government, trade associations and other key stakeholders, to help ensure food is able to flow through the supply chain and reach those people most in need.
Susan Barratt, CEO of IGD, said: “We all understand that this is an incredibly worrying time for the British public, with events around Coronavirus (COVID-19) unfolding rapidly. Our number one priority, at IGD and as a whole industry, is to keep feeding the nation, ensuring that everyone – including the most vulnerable members of our community – has access to the food and goods they need at this very challenging time.”
She added: “Last week, we asked our industry to come together to help support society’s most vulnerable people at this difficult time; we had a tremendous response and it was amazing to see our industry work at speed to develop a plan. Two foodservice companies are now working on an offer with Defra to manage the sourcing and distribution of food parcels to the doorsteps of society’s most vulnerable people.
“But there are many more vulnerable people out there who also need access to food and essential supplies. We’ve also been asked by Defra to help convene the right people to make sure that as an industry, we ensure the foodbanks have what they need and next we will be asking for our industry’s support with that.”
IGD is also supporting the food and consumer goods industry with coronavirus-related information and resources. This includes a dedicated webpage to share latest relevant guidance from government and other useful links.
Barratt said: “Coronavirus is expected to continue impacting us all for many months, making collaboration over the coming weeks absolutely crucial. We will continue to bring industry and government together, doing everything in our power to support the right decisions being taken at the right time, to ensure that the food and consumer goods industry continues to provide for the British public.”
