Focus on Vaccines – Not Inflexible Standards, Meat Institute Urges

Meat and poultry workers need a new standard that prioritizes vaccines, the North American Meat Institute (Meat Institute) says. 

The Biden administration is taking a close look at workplace safety standards and is seeking to deliver on its commitment to vaccinate all American adults within months. The Meat Institute says vaccinating frontline meat and poultry workers should be high priority, in addition to reaffirming protections that have successfully brought infection rates in the sector more than 80% below the general population.  

"Frontline meat and poultry workers deserve immediate access to vaccines as they continue feeding Americans and keeping our farm economy working. The administration should commit to workers’ long-term safety, not create inflexible standards that could force facilities to decrease capacity utilization,” says Meat Institute president and CEO Julie Anna Potts.

Data Proves Efforts Work
New data from the Food and Environment Reporting Network (FERN), notes there were just 4.81 new reported cases per 100,000 meat and poultry workers per day in February 2021, compared with 26.15 cases per 100,000 people in the general U.S. population as reported by the New York Times. 

The Meat Institute reports that independent scientific research proves the effectiveness of the COVID-19 prevention measures implemented in the sector since spring 2020. The University of Nebraska Medical Center found that the combination of universal masking and physical barriers reduced cases significantly in 62% of meat facilities studied. 

An analysis published in the Lancet in June 2020 found that distancing of 3 feet and using facemasks each reduce transmission by about 80%, and using eye protection reduces transmission by about 65%, a Meat Institute release says.

A February 2021 Meat Institute survey of more than 250 facilities employing more than 150,000 workers found COVID-19 protections implemented since spring 2020 include:
•    COVID-19 hazard assessments; designated COVID-19 coordinators
•    Entry screening measures and controls
•    Increased sanitation and disinfection practices
•    Training and education materials on COVID-19 symptoms and prevention, in multiple languages
•    Mandatory face coverings
•    Increase flexibility in leave policies
•    Physical barriers in food production and other areas (e.g., break rooms, cafeterias)

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