COVID-19

OSHA issues stronger COVID-19 guidance

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has issued stronger COVID-19 Guidance. Protecting Workers: Guidance on Mitigating and Preventing the Spread of COVID-19 in the Workplace was posted Jan. 29. Summary: This guidance is intended to... more »

Washington state’s Evans Fruit fined $150K For COVID-19 violations

A Yakima, Washington, area fruit grower and processor has been fined more than $150,000 by the Washington state Department of Labor & Industries Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) for violating COVID-19 workplace requirements designed to... more »

USDA freezes $2.3B supplemental Coronavirus Food Assistance Program

USDA announced Jan. 27 that $2.3 billion in supplemental Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) payments will be temporarily frozen. “In accordance with the White House memo, Regulatory Freeze Pending Review, USDA has suspended the processing and... more »

UC Davis launches $3M project to improve farmworker COVID-19 safety

California’s 800,000 farmworkers have been hit hard by COVID-19, the disease that has infected more than 25 million people and killed more than 420,000 in the United States. Farmworkers are especially vulnerable to the airborne... more »

Webinar about COVID-19 disruptions to food supply chains scheduled

A multi-region, multi-institution research and outreach team investigating the impact of COVID-19 on food and agricultural systems will host a free webinar those engaged in the food supply chain at any level. The webinar will... more »

Fusionware ‘no-touch’ system addresses COVID-19 challenges

The 2020 COVID-19 pandemic is the kind of “black swan” event that is disrupting countless aspects of business and life around the world, and the produce supply chain is not exempt. According to a news... more »

Extreme circumstances of 2020 bring rollercoaster ride for produce sales

November and December sales were dominated by the holidays along with the consumers’ response to rapidly rising new COVID-19 cases across many states. Some states and cities enacted renewed shelter-in-place mandates which impacted grocery retailing... more »

Washington ag groups plea for fast-track farm worker vaccinations

As farmers across Washington state prepare for the first wave of nearly 15,000 guest workers to arrive in the first quarter of 2021, leading agricultural groups are appealing recently renewed state COVID-19 emergency rules to... more »

Congressmen call on USDA to prioritize farmworker safety funding

Representatives Jimmy Panetta, D-California; Jim Costa, D-California; Salud Carbajal, D-California; Dan Newhouse, R-Washington; Doug LaMalfa, R-California and Fred Upton, R-Michigan, led 70 colleagues in a bipartisan letter sent Jan. 11 to the USDA urging it... more »

Employers not required to continue providing FFCRA leave

After much heated negotiation in passing Stimulus 2.0, Congress reached a compromise on employee COVID-19 leave, allowing the leave requirements of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) to expire on Dec.31, 2020, but continuing tax... more »