The Association was quick to respond to the impact of the pandemic, with its first COVID-related message to members being on 27 January 2020. Because of the volume of information a dedicated confidential Emergencies WhatsApp group was created in early March 2020. The group now has some 85 members, exchanging information technical and regulatory developments and solving problems in real time.
The group is active 24/7 and has hosted 2,000+ confidential messages to date. In addition to this CFA is lobbying for usage of Lateral Flow Testing in a targeted way (‘Targeted Testing’) focusing on high-risk staff and troubleshooting. CFA is also lobbying for clarity on pricing of kits provided by Government from July as the cost of twice-weekly tests for the sector’s 80k staff add up to on-costs of ~£45m p.a., reflecting profit from ~£2bn sales of chilled foods. CFA is also seeking members’ sites to be used as vaccination centres and for the prioritisation of vaccine rollout to include all food sector staff.
15 April 2021