Update on Food Ireland during Coronovirus period
Immediate update today 12 / 26 / 2024
- We are operating our business as normally as we can given the situation.
- There may be delays in processing orders as we have introduced new work patterns to protect our employees and customers from Covid-19 virus.
- Some of our delivery routes have been changed and we will contact affected customers with this information.
- Company policy is now in line with NY State law. Our delivery crew are wearing face masks and will keep a distance of 6 feet from any person when making delivery
- Alternately our delivery crew will delivery the goods to the sidewalk.
- Stores that have proper measures in effect are doing substantally better that those who dont, so its important to make your customers feel safe when they shop your store.
- We have free signs available that are being shipped with orders. Posters encourage customers in store environment to stay 6.5 feet apart.
- Link to a very good resource on safe shopping for your customers during covid-19 found here
Other supply information
- We are in regular contact with our suppliers to ensure that we continue to be able to provide you with essential foods at this time
- Our suppliers are under enormous pressure to keep the flow of goods going as demand has outpaced supply. This is resulting in longer lead times and we appreciate your patience if we are temporarily out of stock of certain items at this time.
- We are only continuing to do business with suppliers who have official policies on dealing with Covid-19 virus.
- Shipping costs have risen drastically since Q3 2020. We absorbed these costs to a point but have been forced to increase costs of certain ranges of goods in 2021.
- A severe shortage of truck drivers in the UK is leading to supply issues of certain UK brands. We have placed linits on the quanity of certan goods that can be orderd.
Safety measure we are taking.
- Since February, 2020 Food Ireland has introduced extra measures to protect our customers and employees from the Covid-19 virus and we are continuously updating our practices and procedures based on guidelines from various governmental and NGO agencies across the globe.
- We are licensed and inspected by several agencies including New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, Food and Drug Administration (FDA), United States Department of agriculture (USDA ) and US Customs and Border protection..
- Food Ireland is certified under the standards of the Food Safety and Modernisation act ( FSMA ) and also hold Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) certification.
- We have a daily sanitizing procedure where the business is sanitized during the day. We have significantly increased the frequency of these daily tasks and have added new tasks to the routine to prevent spread of the virus.
- The sanitizing procedure includes the entire premises, access points, storage equipment, material handling equipment, vehicles, refrigeration equipment and all offices.
- Employees are screened daily for signs of illness and we have incorporated new employee sanitizing measures. Where possible we have instructed employees to work from home.
- At this time, all Food Ireland employees are vaccinated against Covid-19.
- Authorized personnel are only allowed on the premises and have to follow sanitizing procedures before entry.
- Only commercial trucks are allowed on our premises. Drivers remain in vehicle and not allowed inside building.
- Only orders on pallets are loaded in to commercial vehicles.
- No business customers are allowed in to building at this time. We will not load any order in to a vehicle unless it is a commercial truck capable of accepting pallets. Cars, minivans or pickup trucks will not be loaded under any circumstance.
- We have increased security to our premises. We are not (or never were) open to the public, we have eliminated all non essential visitors.
