Operating Safely

Updates from US Foods and Third-Party Expertise


US Foods® is an “essential” food and agriculture business during this pandemic. Our corporate services, retail locations, manufacturing plants, and distribution centers remain open to service your needs. Our category managers are utilizing their network of suppliers to procure the foods and products you have come to rely upon from US Foods. They are making substitutions as necessary to continue supply when businesses shift production.

A cross-functional team at US Foods has been closely monitoring the COVID-19 pandemic and developing action plans for both associate and customer needs, drawing upon many resources, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to make informed, fact-based decisions. Our company has taken many critical actions to support the health and safety of our associates and customers during this time.

HEALTH AND SAFETY MEASURES

  • Illness prevention guidelines – We continue to reiterate CDC prevention guidelines with all associates. We are asking any associate who is sick or has symptoms commonly associated with COVID-19 to stay home. Associates who have someone in their household diagnosed with COVID-19 have been asked to stay home and to follow CDC guidance for returning to work
  • Wellness Checks with temperature screenings – All warehouse, retail and manufacturing plant associates, including drivers, are required to participate in a daily Wellness Check, including a temperature screening, before entering any US Foods facility. The Wellness Check includes a series of questions based on CDC guidance regarding symptoms and exposure, and anyone with a fever or who responds in the affirmative to any of the screening questions is refused entry and sent home. Any third party must also undergo a Wellness Check before entering our facilities
  • Enhanced hygiene and cleaning procedures in all facilities – We have implemented enhanced hygiene practices and cleaning procedures and are providing additional sanitation products to our facilities
  • Work from home policies and social distancing – To help decrease the spread of COVID-19 and create a safer environment for associates who must be present in our facilities to support our essential operations, we are utilizing social distancing in the workplace. We have expanded our work from home guidelines and have suspended all non-essential visitors across all locations
  • Essential employee protocols – For associates who must perform their duties in-person at one of our facilities, including our drivers, we have issued specific protocols designed to limit close contact and to provide personal protective equipment (PPE) such as masks and gloves for various roles when available, as well as cleaning and sanitizing products. When disposable masks are not available, we are encouraging associates to utilize masks they procure or make
  • Internal Human Resources protocol for processing COVID-19 cases – If an associate informs US Foods that they have been diagnosed with COVID-19, we have procedures in place that are informed by CDC guidance, including isolating the associate from our facility, conducting a traceback interview with the impacted associate and notifying associates and customers with whom the associate had close contact (if any), and conducting enhanced cleaning procedures. These associates will be subject to appropriate return-to-work procedures based on CDC guidance
  • Delivery protocols – We are working to reduce contact between delivery drivers and staff at customer locations by making alternate delivery arrangements where possible and practicing social distancing while on-site

FOOD SAFETY

We are often asked if the food supply is safe from COVID-19. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has stated the following: “currently there is no evidence of food or food packaging being associated with transmission of COVID-19. Foodborne exposure to this virus is not known to be a route of transmission.”

In addition, it is important to remember that products shipped or delivered by US Foods’ vendors must adhere to all applicable laws and regulations, including food safety and quality requirements set by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and FDA.

WE’RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER

Thank you for your ongoing support and partnership as we navigate these challenging circumstances. We look forward to continuing to work together.

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CORONAVIRUS/COVID-19 RESOURCES AND THIRD-PARTY EXPERTISE