- Bakery products, due to high nutrient value and affordability, are an item of huge consumption
- As a CSR initiative, their distributors and packaging partners are continually being trained in best practices of respiratory and hand hygiene
With bread becoming the staple diet in Indian households not only in urban cities but also in rural areas, leading FMCG player Bonn Group of Industries are leaving no stone unturned to get their products and employees safe in the troubled times of COVID-19 emergency. The company has been maintaining round-the-clock sanitization program at the factories and offices besides distributing masks, infra-red thermometers every day to the factory workers.
The Bonn Group of Industries, known for upholding safety and hygienic standards to perfection, has already declared a work from home policy for its marketing employees to encourage ‘social distancing’ to fight against the outbreak that has killed two In India and affected many. As a part of their CSR initiative, they are also continually training their distributors and packaging partners against the hand and respiratory hygiene.
“In the wake of coronavirus outbreak, our offices and factories are being sanitized round the clock besides giving out fresh masks to our factory workers every day. Anyone, including factory workers, colleagues, entering the premises, is getting their body temperature checked. Awareness program is being run in factories where workers are educated about the virus and how one can avoid this. We’re closely working with the health authorities to take all necessary preventive measures and stay abreast with the latest safety guidelines,” said Mr. Amrinder Singh, Director, Bonn Group of Industries.
“We understand that ‘social distancing’ aids in containing the spread of the virus so we have issued an advisory too. Even our distributors and packaging partners are continually being trained in best practices of respiratory hygiene, proper method and frequency of washing hands and identification of associated symptoms. Proper fumigation of all the bread delivery vehicles is being carried out every day and also, procedures are laid down for disinfection of crates. To encourage social distancing’, we also issued Work from Home provision to some of the departments”,” added Mr. Singh.
Bread and other bakery products are quite popular in urban demographics and gaining momentum in rural set up as well. Increasing disposable income, changing lifestyle, growth in organized retail and increasing consumption of processed and packaged food are the main drivers of the industry. The FMCG sector as a whole is the fourth largest sector in the Indian economy and provides employment to around 3 million people accounting for approximately 5 percent of the total factory employment in India.
However, FDA, the administration that monitors both food and drug supplies, also shared that it has enhanced efforts to monitor food safety to screen, examine, sample and alert imported goods. However, there is still no evidence to support transmission of COVID-19 associated with imported goods and there have not been any cases of COVID-19 in India with imported goods.