Wed, Jun 24, 2020 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM CDT

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought on more change in the food retailing industry in the last three months than it has in the past decade.

Deemed as essential industries to the nation’s infrastructure, stakeholders throughout the supply chain are feeding families, creating new distribution channels and adapting to shifting consumer demands.

Join us for this NGA webinar as we explore these various changes, the impacts, and what will stick moving forward.  REGISTER NOW

Mondelez has expanded its direct-store delivery to meet increased retail demand and shifting consumer behavior related to stay-at-home orders, according to Glen Walter, president of North America. The company is offering more multi-packs and family-size packaging, while Walter notes future DSD growth will likely be tied to premium products related to well-being. Read the full story HERE.

Governor Mike Parson announced Thursday that Missouri will fully reopen and enter Phase 2 of its “Show Me Strong Recovery” Plan on Tuesday, June 16, 2020.

“It is truly incredible to think about how far Missouri has come since March. At that time, no one knew what to expect. There was a lot of uncertainty, worry, and concern,” Governor Parson said. “Here we are today, just over 90 days since our first COVID-19 case in Missouri, and I am proud to say we have overcome all of these challenges and more than met our four pillars to reopen.”

During Phase 2, there will be no statewide health order. All statewide restrictions will be lifted, though local officials will still have the authority to put further rules, regulations, or ordinances in place.

The decision to reopen was dependent on the four essential “Show Me Strong Recovery” pillars:

1. Expand testing capacity and volume in the state

2. Expand reserves of PPE by opening public and private supply chains

3. Continue to monitor and, if necessary, expand hospital and health care system capacity

4. Improve ability to predict potential outbreaks using Missouri's public health data

Weekly testing in Missouri has increased more than 220 percent from approximately 16,000 test encounters the week of April 20 to over 53,000 encounters the week of May 25. Over the past two weeks, the state has averaged more than 10,000 tests per weekday.

Missouri continues to receive and distribute PPE across the state. Yesterday, the state reached a record PPE shipment, expanding to include not only hospitals, health care facilities, and EMS but also dental offices as more are reopening across the state. Yesterday’s shipments included the following:

• 17,230 gowns
• 42,720 N95 masks
• 262,000 gloves
• 77,100 surgical masks
• 18,432 face shields

Missouri has also received national recognition for the use of its PPE marketplace, which helps health care providers with Missouri manufactures and suppliers. Currently, there are over 100 hospitals, 436 suppliers, and 1,567 health care providers, businesses, and other organizations registered in the PPE marketplace.

Regarding hospital capacity, hospitalizations fell by 43 percent statewide from May 1 to June 10. In April, the state converted a hotel into an alternate care site in just 11 days.

Missouri now also has a comprehensive COVID-19 Dashboard containing data from across the state on testing, positivity rate, deaths, and hospitalizations. Much of the data is broken down further by county or demographics.

“We have learned and accomplished so much since March. Knowing what we know now, we are much better prepared to deal with COVID-19 going forward, and we are fully confident that Missouri is ready to take the next step,” Governor Parson said.

While Missouri will fully reopen on June 16, Governor Parson emphasized the importance of continuing social distancing and practicing proper hygiene to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

“We must remember that COVID-19 is not gone,” Governor Parson said. “It is still extremely important for everyone to continue social distancing. Be proactive. Avoid large, congested crowds, and if you can’t social distance, take extra precautions to protect yourself and those around you.”

“We all know how to do this now, and it is up to us to take responsibility for our own actions,” Governor Parson continued.

In preparation of Phase 2, Governor Parson signed Executive Order 20-12 extending the state of emergency in Missouri through December 30, 2020, to utilize federal CARES Act funding. Extending the state of emergency will also allow continued flexibility in deploying resources around the state as Missouri reopens and recovers from COVID-19.

Executive Order 20-12 also further extends four previous Executive Orders assisting with Missouri’s COVID-19 response through December 30:

• Executive Order 20-04 easing regulatory burdens and certain provisions related to telemedicine and motor carriers
• Executive Order 20-05 allowing the sale of unprepared restaurant foods to the public
• Executive Order 20-06 mobilizing the National Guard in our response efforts
• Executive Order 20-08 waiving the requirement for a person to be physically present in front of a notary public

Extending these Executive Orders is consistent with the emergency declaration and gives Missourians more time to adjust as the state works through the economic recovery process. To view Executive Order 20-12, click here.

Governor Parson was joined today by Missouri Department of Economic Development Director Rob Dixon to share more details about the state’s recovery plans as well as a new economic recovery dashboard.

Governor Parson also said the Missouri State Fair would go on but would likely not have concerts or some of the other events that normally are held at the State Fair.

For the fourth week running, seafood has remained the most elevated grocery category, with sales up 47.9% for the week ending May 30, according to the latest numbers from Nielsen. Frozen food sales were also up 25% during the same period and meat sales notched a 19.5% increase, and data showed meat unit prices also rose by 15.6%. Full story can be found HERE.

Instacart, which lost the top spot to Walmart as an online grocery service provider last year, has regained the lead thanks to explosive growth caused by the pandemic, a new report shows. According to data gathered by Second Measure, Instacart saw its weekly share hit a high of 57% in April, while Walmart's weekly online grocery share dropped about 25% in March as the retailer struggled with unprecedented customer demand. View the full story HERE.

The Missouri Grocers Association is committed to serving and representing the health and wellness of our members. In the times that we live in today, it is important that our organization rallies around and supports the grocery industry as we continue to serve our communities in these unprecedented times. It is for that reason, that I am proud to announce the launch of the MGA’s Affinity Health Insurance Plan.

The MGA’s Affinity Health Insurance Plan provides members with a cost-effective way to purchase health insurance for their employees. This plan is designed to give employers the opportunity to provide a great employee benefits package at rates that are lower than they would be on the open market. This option for members will provide our industry with another tool to take care of our employees and lower costs during these challenging times.

For more information on the program, CLICK HERE.

QUESTIONS? LEARN MORE

James Nevins at (417) 228-3565 or email james@nevont.com

Please click here to urge your Members of Congress to cosponsor legislation to provide tax relief for essential frontline workers. The FRNT LINE Act and the AG CHAIN Act, sponsored by Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) and Reps. GT Thompson (R-PA) and Dwight Evans (D-PA) in the Senate and House respectively, would recognize the heroes serving at the frontlines of the food and agriculture industry by extending income and payroll tax relief for income earned during the public health emergency. Your support is critical to garnering Congressional support for these important pieces of legislation.

In an updated COVID-19 enforcement guidance, OSHA announced that many more employers will be subject to enforcement inspections and changes course on its COVID-19 Recordkeeping Guidance.

The new May 19th COVID-19 Recordkeeping Guidance pulls back on the relief granted in the April 10th guidance, which eliminated the requirement for most employers to undertake a work-relatedness analysis for COVID-19 cases unless there was a cluster.

Now, all employers, including grocers, must take a case-by-case work-relatedness analysis for every employee with a confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis.

NGA’s Employment and Labor firm Conn Maciel Carey developed this COVID-19 Recordkeeping Flow Chart, and a one-pager on How to Record COVID-19 Cases.

Tuesday, June 16, 2020, 12:00 p.m. CT
60 minutes | Advance registration required

This webinar will focus on the road from illegal to legal cannabis use and the challenges employers face in navigating state and federal laws in this fast-changing environment.

REGISTER HERE

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has issued an alert listing safety tips employers can follow to protect stockroom and loading dock workers in the retail industry from exposure to the coronavirus. Click Here to see more.