A message from Bushel Boy Farms about COVID-19

At Bushel Boy Farms, health and safety of our employees, our business partners, our customers, and the consumers of our produce is of the utmost importance to us.

As the COVID-19 outbreak continues to develop, we have already taken measures to ensure the continued safety and availability of our produce – learn more about these measures below. Effective immediately, we are implementing further measures to help ensure the continued safety of our employees, colleagues, and products.

After careful consideration, the Bushel Boy team has made the decision to suspend all non-essential business travel until further notice. That includes all trade shows, conferences, and conventions through the end of April 2020. Additionally, visits to our facilities will be limited to only those critical for continued operations.

We hope you understand the necessity for these measures, and we apologize for any inconvenience they may cause. We will continue to provide updates as more information becomes available, and as the situation continues to develop.

Thank you for your patience and understanding as we work to minimize the negative impacts of COVID-19 on our industries, communities, and families.

Updated March 17, 2020

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COVID-19 and Food Safety and Availability Information

Our food safety and supply chain teams are monitoring the COVID-19 situation as it occurs in the US and abroad. We understand that customers may have questions about our preparedness and the safety or ongoing availability of the products we provide and have tried to address a broad range of concerns in the information below.

Can food or other products transmit the virus?

Regarding COVID-19 and the food supply chain, the following information is
available:

• Per the FDA (27 Feb 2020): “We are not aware of any reports at this time of human
  illness that suggest COVID-019 can be transmitted by food or food packaging.”
  Source: https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/coronavirus-covid-19-supply-chain-update
• Per the CDC: “ . . . transmission of novel coronavirus to persons from surfaces
  contaminated with the virus has not been documented.”
  Source: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/home/cleaning-disinfection.html
• Per the Fresh Produce Association: “There is no evidence that fresh produce (or any
  other food, or other product/material) can transmit the virus.”
  Source: https://www.unitedfresh.org/coronavirus-fresh-produce-industry-resources/
• The Food Safety Authority of Ireland was also referenced by the Fresh Produce
  Association: “Experience with SARS and MERS suggest that people are not infected
  with the virus through food. So, it is unlikely the virus is passed on through food and
  there is no evidence yet of this happening with Covid-19 (coronavirus) to date.”
  Source: https://www.fsai.ie/faq/coronavirus.html

What are the expectations of employees of Bushel Boy Farms to minimize the impact of COVID-19 on the food supply chain?

Employees are expected to:

• Follow the GMP policies of the organization
• When directly handling food, use single-use gloves
• Adhere to the illness policy, and notify supervisors immediately about illnesses,
  especially about respiratory illness or symptoms
• Wash hands at these times:
  • Before starting work
  • After handling waste
  • After cleaning duties
  • After using restrooms
  • After blowing nose, sneezing or coughing
  • After eating, drinking or using tobacco products
  • After handling money or personal items

How has Bushel Boy Farms prepared to ensure continued availability of products we provide?

While the COVID-19 (coronavirus) outbreak does have the possibility to impact global supplychains, Bushel Boy’s Logistics, Operations, and Supply Chain teams are working with our suppliers and carriers in an effort to minimize the effects of these disruptions on our customers. As we maneuver the challenges of this outbreak, we do recommend increasing your lead times to reduce the risk of a service disruption. We will provide updated information as this situation continues to develop.

• The supply chain teams are communicating closely with suppliers, and planning
  inventory needs as best as possible as the situation changes.
• Operations leadership members are developing plans to supplement floor level
  labor needs in the event there is a sharp increase in the rate employees utilize
  sick days to minimize the spread of illness.
• Travel and visitor restrictions have been implemented and will be reevaluated
  as the situation develops.

How can customers help us prepare?

We believe in transparency, so please reach out with any critical food safety or product availability concerns. Please understand we may experience above-normal volumes of requests for information and increased utilization of sick time, so please be patient with our response times.