FBC requests vaccines for food industry workers

Food and Beverage Canada – Aliments et boissons Canada (FBC-ABC) and Food and Beverage Ontario urged the federal and provincial Ontario governments to safeguard Canada’s food supply.

“Since the start of COVID-19, the majority of Ontario’s 100,000+ front-line food processing workers have continued to work on-site to ensure Ontarians, and indeed Canadians, have the food they need. Our workers have done this while risking their own health and that of their families. It is critical that federal and provincial governments together ensure these workers are immediately prioritized for vaccines,” said Chris Conway, CEO Food and Beverage Ontario in a statement to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier Doug Ford.

The advocacy group stated that if food plants close, Canada’s food system could be crippled. The group strongly recommends vaccinating front-line food processing workers to ensure that Canadians have little to no interruption to their access of food. The added that where food processing workers are not being vaccinated, the federal government must step in.

The FBC called on the federal government to ensure Canada’s food processing workers have vaccines to ensure safety. “Canada’s food processing plants, as part of Canada’s critical infrastructure, have continued to operate throughout the pandemic. While food manufacturers have invested a billion dollars on measures and controls to protect their workers from COVID-19, given the congregate nature of food plants, that risk can never be totally eliminated,” explained Kathleen Sullivan, CEO FBC-ABC.

Food and Beverage Canada – Aliments et boissons Canada (FBC-ABC) is the national association representing Canadian food manufacturers. Food and beverage is the largest manufacturing employer in Canada and our products are critical to the health and well-being of Canadians.

Food and Beverage Ontario is a not-for-profit, leadership organization dedicated to advancing the interests of Ontario’s food and beverage processors.