Spanish food industry appeals for PPE in wake of Covid-19

The Spanish government has been called on to help to supply personal protective equipment (PPE) to companies that are still operating through the Covid-19 pandemic by Spain’s food manufacturing body.

The Federación Española de Industrias de Alimentación y Bebidas (FIAB) hopes that this will limit the spreading of the virus, which is commonly transferred via respiratory droplets found in people’s breath or via coughs and sneezes.

The group is additionally appealing for the Spanish government to provide financial aid to food manufacturing companies who supply the various restaurants and cafes that are now closed due to the global lockdown, as well as to offer companies protection against price gouging by some suppliers. 

The FIAB’s director-general Mauricio García de Quevedo has stated both companies and workers have reacted in an exemplary manner, supplying the public with the products they desire and maintaining the quality people expect from their stock.

He said: “We are continuing to follow all protocols and recommendations established by the ministry of health to help us ensure maximum safety for those involved.

“However, to continue to do so, the government must continue to supply industry-grade PPE to manufacturers to protect the health of the workers.”

Mr de Quevedo added that if the disease is not contained properly, the food industry could suffer from labour shortages due to illness. He has urged the government to respond should this be the case.

He said: “We must look to our future and guarantee greater legal protection for staff, including how we may apply furloughs to our workers, or whether or not we may be required to contract production due to the various issues with supply chains in the face of the pandemic.

“There is a serious concern with various transport operators potentially pushing up fees for their services. A solution could be for the government to increase truckloads for up to 44 tonnes to increase the amount of merchandise that can be hauled.

“Raw material supply is also dropping on both a national and global level and the FIAB have proposed a way to strengthen the monitoring of these producer markets with added incentives to bolster the farming and cultivation of these supplies.”

Several other companies are figuring out ways of dealing with the issues of the pandemic.

The fishing industry – which has been particularly hard-hit by Covid-19 – has resorted to selling gourmet items at half price.

Producers of frozen fish are also reporting challenges to both their cash flow and distribution for both local and export markets and many fishing fleets have been anchored.

According to a report from FEDEPESCA, the Spanish fishing association, 50% of the entire industry is currently idle, although distribution channels for fish that are caught and distributed normally are operating as usual.

Furthermore, many grocer outlets have sought to increase their presence online, thus increasing the strength of their online shopping platforms.

Spanish supermarket chain Dia has teamed up with the delivery app Glovo to provide a seamless shopping experience for customers. The app guarantees delivery within an hour of the order.

Also, other platforms such as Manzaning and Aprop deliver food to consumers from small local shops and farmers’ markets. They have reported an 800% increase in sales in the face of many outlets closing and facing staff redundancies. Conversely, Spain’s department store group El Corte Inglés has invested in creating a standalone website specifically to sell food.

Spain also saw a 29.8% boom in food sales within the first week of the emergency according to the ministry of agriculture, fisheries and food, although this has since mellowed out with bulk buying fluctuating nationally.

However, Asedas, the Spanish Association of Distributors, Supermarkets and Self-Service Stores has stressed retailers and their distributor partners by responding to panic buying by restocking hotly contested items within a matter of days.

A spokesperson for the company stated Spain has one of the most efficient food distribution networks in Europe.

They added: “We are perfectly capable of dealing with extraordinary situations such as this one.”

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