随着新冠疫情迅速在全国蔓延,美国民众也被迫改变了自己的生活方式。健康问题、经济的不确定性、生活受限和交通管制接踵而来。面对这些几个月前还无法想象的现实问题,许多人不禁发问:危机当头,我和我的家人是否能获得充足的食品?
美国食品供应链的强大毋庸置疑,这一点我觉得大家可以放心。为了确保各地商店都能有充足的商品供应,供应链上的生产商、分销商和零售商正在不分昼夜的工作。与以往一样,当出现国家紧急状态时,食品企业又一次挺身而出,努力确保民众的食品供应。
尽管最近几周需求激增,但包括我们在内,各地的分销商都在增加供应量,并采取了一系列措施,来防止疫情期间出现食品供应短缺的情况。为了确保食品能安全、可靠地从生产者手中送到零售商店,美国做出了诸多努力,而我们将继续在这项工作中扮演中流砥柱的角色。
美国民众首先应该明白,这种国家层级的任务离不开强有力的公、私合作。我和我的同事们花费了大量时间与联邦、州及地方政府的官员进行接触。比如,为了确定未来几周、几个月的工作计划,我们与白宫、农业部、联邦紧急事务管理局及美、加两国的地方卫生官员都进行了直接沟通。
为了强化供应链,许多食品行业的领导者已向联邦、州和地方政府寻求支持,希望政府可以鼓励负责任的消费行为,让身体健康的关键岗位员工能够继续工作,同时确保货车在高速公路与普通道路上能够顺畅通行。幸运的是,行政当局已经同意了我们的许多请求,例如公开劝阻人们不要囤积食品,同时宣布食品工人为关键行业从业人员。等到时机成熟时,我们希望政府能够采取更多的支持措施,如为工人们提供平价托儿服务等。
这项国家任务的另一个基石是一线工人与驾驶员的巨大奉献。虽然工作时间很长,工作量巨大,但他们始终把美国消费者的需要放在首位,日以继夜地全力工作着。
为了补充库存、让商品进入供应链,生产商与食品加工商始终在马不停蹄地赶订单。我们每天都会送出超过25万种不同类型的产品,以满足消费者的各类需求。虽然某些产品现在需求量巨大,但经过与供应商沟通,我们确信美国的食品供应充足无虞,民众完全无需担心。
有时商店内卫生纸、面粉或大米等商品,会因哄抢而出现断货,对此大家不必担心,因为分销商正在不断补充库存。同样值得注意的是,由于美国正处于紧急状态,物价有所上涨,我们已在努力通过供应商了解涨价原因。
最后,为了给工人提供支持,让他们能够安心、安全地工作,分销商们也制定了新的规章制度。在自营配送中心和零售店,我们都实施了严格的卫生与社交距离规定。同时,我们也鼓励员工以健康为重,并为所有确诊感染新冠肺炎或可能受设施关闭影响的员工提供带薪休假。
为了公司2.1万名员工的健康,以及能够让他们在辛苦工作之余获得适当休息,我们决定再雇用1,000名工人。近期,我们还与另外两家食品供应链公司签订了正式协议,根据需要,他们将为我们提供更多的工人、司机及拖车。
一句话:美国民众应该相信,国家采取的大量措施正在有条不紊地进行中,能够确保食品供应充足。因此,我们不建议囤积食品或购买大量其他商品,这种行为毫无必要。
新冠疫情让我们产生了各种各样的焦虑情绪,但真的不必担心买不到优质食品或是价格不合理。成千上万的食品工人、立法者和监管者都在为之而努力。
我们应该感谢司机、零售店店员、仓库员工以及其他不辞辛劳的人,为了保障商店和社区的食品供应,他们一直在努力工作着,没有他们的付出,等待我们的将是空空如也的货架。(财富中文网)
史蒂文·斯宾纳是联合原生态食品公司的CEO兼董事长。
译者:梁宇
审校:夏林
随着新冠疫情迅速在全国蔓延,美国民众也被迫改变了自己的生活方式。健康问题、经济的不确定性、生活受限和交通管制接踵而来。面对这些几个月前还无法想象的现实问题,许多人不禁发问:危机当头,我和我的家人是否能获得充足的食品?
美国食品供应链的强大毋庸置疑,这一点我觉得大家可以放心。为了确保各地商店都能有充足的商品供应,供应链上的生产商、分销商和零售商正在不分昼夜的工作。与以往一样,当出现国家紧急状态时,食品企业又一次挺身而出,努力确保民众的食品供应。
尽管最近几周需求激增,但包括我们在内,各地的分销商都在增加供应量,并采取了一系列措施,来防止疫情期间出现食品供应短缺的情况。为了确保食品能安全、可靠地从生产者手中送到零售商店,美国做出了诸多努力,而我们将继续在这项工作中扮演中流砥柱的角色。
美国民众首先应该明白,这种国家层级的任务离不开强有力的公、私合作。我和我的同事们花费了大量时间与联邦、州及地方政府的官员进行接触。比如,为了确定未来几周、几个月的工作计划,我们与白宫、农业部、联邦紧急事务管理局及美、加两国的地方卫生官员都进行了直接沟通。
为了强化供应链,许多食品行业的领导者已向联邦、州和地方政府寻求支持,希望政府可以鼓励负责任的消费行为,让身体健康的关键岗位员工能够继续工作,同时确保货车在高速公路与普通道路上能够顺畅通行。幸运的是,行政当局已经同意了我们的许多请求,例如公开劝阻人们不要囤积食品,同时宣布食品工人为关键行业从业人员。等到时机成熟时,我们希望政府能够采取更多的支持措施,如为工人们提供平价托儿服务等。
这项国家任务的另一个基石是一线工人与驾驶员的巨大奉献。虽然工作时间很长,工作量巨大,但他们始终把美国消费者的需要放在首位,日以继夜地全力工作着。
为了补充库存、让商品进入供应链,生产商与食品加工商始终在马不停蹄地赶订单。我们每天都会送出超过25万种不同类型的产品,以满足消费者的各类需求。虽然某些产品现在需求量巨大,但经过与供应商沟通,我们确信美国的食品供应充足无虞,民众完全无需担心。
有时商店内卫生纸、面粉或大米等商品,会因哄抢而出现断货,对此大家不必担心,因为分销商正在不断补充库存。同样值得注意的是,由于美国正处于紧急状态,物价有所上涨,我们已在努力通过供应商了解涨价原因。
最后,为了给工人提供支持,让他们能够安心、安全地工作,分销商们也制定了新的规章制度。在自营配送中心和零售店,我们都实施了严格的卫生与社交距离规定。同时,我们也鼓励员工以健康为重,并为所有确诊感染新冠肺炎或可能受设施关闭影响的员工提供带薪休假。
为了公司2.1万名员工的健康,以及能够让他们在辛苦工作之余获得适当休息,我们决定再雇用1,000名工人。近期,我们还与另外两家食品供应链公司签订了正式协议,根据需要,他们将为我们提供更多的工人、司机及拖车。
一句话:美国民众应该相信,国家采取的大量措施正在有条不紊地进行中,能够确保食品供应充足。因此,我们不建议囤积食品或购买大量其他商品,这种行为毫无必要。
新冠疫情让我们产生了各种各样的焦虑情绪,但真的不必担心买不到优质食品或是价格不合理。成千上万的食品工人、立法者和监管者都在为之而努力。
我们应该感谢司机、零售店店员、仓库员工以及其他不辞辛劳的人,为了保障商店和社区的食品供应,他们一直在努力工作着,没有他们的付出,等待我们的将是空空如也的货架。(财富中文网)
史蒂文·斯宾纳是联合原生态食品公司的CEO兼董事长。
译者:梁宇
审校:夏林
As the coronavirus continues to spread across the country, Americans are being forced to alter their lives. We currently face health concerns, economic uncertainties, and lifestyle and travel restrictions that seemed unimaginable just a few months ago. This new reality is leading many people to ask a sobering question: Will my family and I have access to enough food during these trying times?
I believe Americans can take comfort in the fact that our country has an incredibly strong food supply chain. Manufacturers, distributors, and retailers have already been working around the clock to keep store shelves stocked in every state and territory. Just like we’ve done during past national emergencies, the food sector is working to rise to the occasion and keep the country fed.
While demand has surged in recent weeks, distributors—such as my company—have increased their output and taken a number of steps to keep food readily available throughout this pandemic’s life cycle. We’re poised to remain at the heart of the national effort to move food in a safe, secure manner from producers to grocery stores.
The first thing that Americans should know about this national effort is that it’s anchored by strong public-private collaboration. My colleagues and I are spending a considerable amount of time engaging with federal, state, and local government officials. This includes interacting directly with the White House, Agriculture Department, Federal Emergency Management Agency, and local health officials around the country and in Canada about what needs to be done in the weeks and months ahead.
To keep the supply chain well fortified, many leaders in the sector have sought support from federal, state, and local governments in encouraging responsible consumer purchasing, keeping essential and healthy associates at work, and ensuring highways and roads remain open to cargo trucks. Thankfully, these authorities have responded by beginning to adopt many of our requests, including publicly discouraging hoarding and declaring food workers as essential. We hope that additional measures, such as providing workers access to affordable childcare, will be implemented in due course.
A second cornerstone of the national effort is the tremendous output being delivered by frontline workers and drivers. They continue to go the extra mile and put the needs of the American consumer first, despite long hours and heavy workloads.
Manufacturers and food producers are working day and night to restock orders and get products back into the supply chain. On any given day, my company carries more than 250,000 different types of products to meet every possible consumer need. Although certain items have taken on greater importance right now, our discussions with suppliers have reassured us that there is ample food available and no reason for Americans to be concerned.
Whenever grocery stores do run out of goods such as bathroom tissue, flour, or rice due to exceptionally high demand, you can rest easy knowing that distributors are working behind the scenes to restock inventory. It’s also noteworthy that we have seen limited price increases during this emergency, and where we have experienced them, we’ve been diligent in working to understand the basis for such increases from our suppliers.
Lastly, distributors are establishing new protocols to provide assurance, safety, and support to workers. My company has implemented robust hygiene and social distancing requirements at our distribution centers and retail locations. We’ve also encouraged associates to prioritize their health and well-being, including through providing paid leave to any associate who is diagnosed with the coronavirus or impacted by potential facility closures.
Keeping our workforce healthy also means making sure our 21,000 associates aren’t permanently pulling lengthy shifts without relief. This is one of the main reasons why we’re hiring an additional 1,000 workers at this time. We also recently formalized agreements with two other food supply-chain companies, which are providing us as-needed access to additional labor, drivers, and trailers.
Bottom line: Americans can trust that a sizable and well-coordinated national effort is underway to keep food accessible. This means that hoarding and mass purchasing is not advisable or necessary.
Amid all of the other anxieties triggered by the coronavirus, there is no need to fear a lack of access to affordable and high-quality food. There are tens of thousands of food workers, lawmakers, and regulators committed to meeting the country’s needs.
I encourage everyone to thank the drivers, retail workers, warehouse associates, and all others working tirelessly to keep deliveries of food flowing into local grocery stores and communities. Without their unwavering commitment, the shelves would be empty.
Steven Spinner is CEO and chairman of United Natural Foods.