The chairman of Tyson Foods has issued a warning about an upcoming meat shortage, stating: “The food supply is breaking.”
The Springdale, AR-based company, which is the world’s second largest processor and marketer of chicken, beef, and pork, purchased full-page ads in the Sunday April 26 editions of the New York Times and the Washington Post, noting the grim realities the meat industry is facing due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the ad, John Tyson, chairman of the board for Tyson Foods, penned a letter to the public stating, “As pork, beef and chicken plants are being forced to close, even for short periods of time, millions of pounds of meat will disappear from the supply chain. As a result, there will be limited supply of our products available in grocery stores until we are able to reopen our facilities that are currently closed.”
Tyson also stated that there is also a serious issue with waste since “farmers across the nation simply will not have anywhere to sell their livestock to be processed. Millions of animals – chickens, pigs and cattle – will be depopulated” due to the closure of their facilities.
In the missive, Tyson also highlighted the safety measures the company has been taking to address the pandemic within its facilities, including a coronavirus task force it formed in January. Tyson noted that his company has installed more than 150 infrared walk-through temperature scanners, and additional daily cleansing and sanitizing. Work station dividers have also been installed and more breakroom space has been offered to encourage social distancing.
The CPG giant is also paying approximately $60 million in “thank you” bonuses to 116,000 frontline workers and Tyson truckers, and has committed $13 million to support critical needs in its local communities.
The company has already closed facilities in Logansport, IN and Waterloo, IA (where at least 182 coronavirus cases were found).
Tyson Foods annually exports the largest percentage of beef out of the United States and with its subsidiaries, owns such major meat brands, including Jimmy Dean, Hillshire Farm, Sara Lee, Ball Park, Wright Brand, Aidells, and State Fair.