Last updated Dec. 10, 2020
Feed and pet food is safe. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration,, there is currently no evidence that food – including animal feed and pet food – is associated with the transmission of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Unlike foodborne gastrointestinal viruses (e.g., the norovirus), COVID-19 is a respiratory illness, spreading primarily from person-to-person through direct or indirect exposure to respiratory droplets. Thus, foodborne exposure is highly unlikely. That said, even without the threat of COVID-19, pet food manufacturers advise pet owners to thoroughly wash their hands and any surfaces coming into contact with pet food or treats upon feeding their pets, and to keep any utensils or food bowls used for feeding pets separate from utensils or bowls used for humans to avoid spreading foodborne illnesses.
After more than a year since COVID-19 was declared a global health emergency, the FDA, U.S. Department of Agriculture and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention continue to underscore that there is no credible evidence that food or food packaging could be a source of viral transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes COVID-19. COVID-19 is mostly spread through human-to-human transmission via direct or indirect exposure to respiratory droplets. Consumers should be reassured that based on this currently available scientific information, which is supported overwhelmingly by international scientists, that the foods they eat and food packaging they touch, including feed or pet food packaging, are highly unlikely to spread SARS-CoV-2. The CDC says that one of the best ways to protect yourself from the virus is frequent handwashing and as an added precaution, avoid touching your face until your hands are washed after handling packaging.
The FDA does not anticipate that animal food products would need to be recalled or withdrawn from the market if an employee tests positive. The FDA maintains that there is no evidence that animal food can carry the new coronavirus, thus, there would be no scientific basis for recalling feed/pet food should an employee at an animal food manufacturing facility test positive for COVID-19.
No. The FDA maintains that there is no evidence that animal food can be a fomite for the new coronavirus, thus, there would be no scientific basis for holding ingredients in storage prior to use for reasons related to COVID-19. It is important that facilities producing feed for the swine industry continue to voluntarily maintain those protections against the ongoing threat of African swine fever.
In March 2020, the Food and Drug Administration announced that it would alter its food safety inspection schedule to high-risk facilities only to limit the spread of COVID-19. In the late summer, the FDA resumed routine inspections, but has altered some procedures for doing so. For example, the inspectors now call facilities ahead of time to ensure they understand visitor procedures prior to coming to the facility to keep everyone – both the inspectors and the plant personnel – safe. Where possible, facilities are conducting remote inspections.
Throughout 2020, no, but this is something the American Feed Industry Association is monitoring regularly in coordination with input from its members. Pet food retailers and pet food manufacturers, as well as those involved in the transport of these products, are deemed “essential” in many states COVID-19 response plans and will remain in operation even should states scale back their phased re-opening plans.
Early on in the emergency, the AFIA heard from some feed manufacturers that their farmer and rancher customers were stocking up on feed supplies, a bit similar to what they might do before an expected natural weather event (e.g., hurricane or snowstorm). Part of this was likely attributed to the uncertainty around whether animal food manufacturers would be considered “essential” in state-ordered business closures, which was resolved in March 2020 when animal feed manufacturers were added to the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s CISA’s “critical infrastructure workforce” guidance for state and local policymakers. As of early fall 2020, the AFIA is confident in the supply of animal feed ingredients, both coming in from international suppliers and produced domestically, and the ability for feed manufacturers to deliver feed in a timely manner to U.S. farmers and ranchers. As the situation evolves, however, the AFIA is staying in close communication with federal and state officials to address any supply chain issues, should they arise.
Early on in the crisis, there were a few isolated instances of ports closing for short periods or restricting goods in the U.S., but so far, all of those issues have been resolved. Most of the trade for the animal food industry is between the U.S., Canada and Mexico, and so far, all commerce between the countries has continued. Over the summer, China indicated that it may restrict U.S. exports due to COVID-19 risks, which the U.S. agricultural community strongly condemned due to the fact that it was not based in science, but rather an attempt to restrict trade. The AFIA is monitoring the situation with U.S. trading partners very closely and working with the administration to ensure the free flow of trade continues.
This should not impact the transportation of feed and pet food. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has asked governing bodies considering the implementation of any quarantine or travel restrictions to remember that truck drivers have been identified as “essential” workers by the CISA. Guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention regarding the delivery of needed supplies to COVID-19 hotspots should also be consulted by governing officials
In addition, the CDC recommends that truck drivers:
Long-haul drivers may be on the road for days or weeks at a time. However, the FMCSA said that the drivers who follow these precautions would not need to self-quarantine when leaving hotspots, unless required by state or local officials in the area where they live.
Throughout 2020, there were no major ingredient shortages, but this is something the AFIA is monitoring regularly in coordination with input from its members. Early on during the crisis, the industry saw decreased distillers’ grains due to a reduction in U.S. ethanol production and limited availability of some rendered products (e.g., bloodmeal and meat and bone meal) used in feed and pet food products in certain areas of the country, but the AFIA believes those issues have now been resolved.
Having dealt with interruptions in business operations in the past due to natural weather events or disasters or animal disease outbreaks, the animal food industry expects that there will be some challenges in the days that lie ahead that could affect the long-term economic outlook of this industry. However, the continued demand for animal-based food products, such as meat, milk and eggs, and pet food products is high, meaning this industry will continue to weather the storm. The industry’s public charity, the Institute for Feed Education and Research, will be analyzing the long-term economic implications of COVID-19 on the animal food industry in an upcoming report.
Some of AFIA’s university members have indicated that non-critical research work has been temporarily put on hold as a result of COVID-19, primarily due to the fact that resources (e.g., PPE) are needed to support researchers involved in the COVID-19 vaccine development effort (see interviews with Kansas State University’s Cassandra Jones, Ph.D., and Greg Aldrich, Ph.D.). In addition, AFIA’s public charity, the Institute for Feed Education and Research (IFEEDER), has not seen any impacts from COVID-19 on current research, since a couple of the projects being conducted this year are not within a laboratory setting and/or are in the final written phase.
Possibly, but this would be a decision made by the company in conjunction with input from local, state and federal health guidance. It is important to keep in mind that the industry has learned a lot about managing operations and protecting the health and safety of its workforce since the initial outbreaks in March 2020 and many now have robust procedures in place to regularly disinfect high-touch areas, separate employees (both physically and during their shifts/breaks), monitor employee health (e.g., temperature checks) and conduct contact tracing should someone have suspected COVID-19 symptoms. As a result of these procedures, and in light of additional technology, equipment and PPE now being widely used across the industry, the industry has been able to successfully keep positive cases within facilities to a minimum. We would expect that a positive case may mean the facility is taken offline for some disinfection, but that any disruption would be in the interest of protecting public health and not a feed or pet food safety issue.
Since the spring, many facilities have been located in “hot spot” areas and over the past few months have learned lessons and deployed policies and procedures that keep employees isolated from one another to limit the spread of COVID-19 and encouraged personal responsibility – on and off the job – to limit behaviors that could result in contraction of the disease, which could put others at risk. Many companies are also providing paid sick leave and encouraging personnel to stay home should they exhibit any symptoms or come in contact with someone who has exhibited symptoms to limit exposure – and their feedback has been that employees by and large are working hard to protect their health and those of others so that they can continue doing what they love – their jobs. Should a facility need to close due to a large outbreak, they have developed contingency plans – either working with their other sites across the country to fill the void during that time or determining if they have partners in the area they can lean on during that time. While many firms are competitors, when circumstances like this happen in the agriculture industry, they will often step up and help one another; the “all in this together” mantra is one our industry lives by in quiet times and in times of crisis.
Absenteeism is something that is of great concern to the animal food manufacturing industry, which is why our members have been taking proactive steps to limit the possibility of exposure to COVID-19 in their facilities, by following the CDC’s guidance on social distancing and other safety measures, and encouraging personal responsibility – both on and off the job. The AFIA has heard from members that they are cross-training employees and developing contingency plans (such as asking another facility within their company to fill the void) should extraordinary circumstances warrant it. They also continue to limit exposure from outside vendors (e.g., truckers, suppliers, handymen) and have permitted employees who can perform their jobs from home to work remotely so that only essential personnel are within the facilities.
Yes, materials such as N95 respirators (often referred to as “N95 face masks”) are used in the animal food industry to protect the health of employees handling hazardous materials. As the country is facing a temporary shortage of these respirators, the AFIA has provided guidance for other alternatives that facility managers can consider to protect their workforce, while reserving these critical PPEs for the medical community. Many members are providing or requiring face masks of employees at their facilities, employing remote work for those who can perform their job functions from home, regularly disinfecting their sites, taking temperatures at the start of shifts, encouraging frequent hand sanitizer use and posting reminder posters in different languages throughout the facility to remind personnel of the new safety practices.
While it appears that SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is not easily spread from humans to animals or vice versa, scientists continue to conduct research in this area to understand the potential for disease transmission between species, especially amid recent COVID-19 outbreaks on mink farms. Currently, the CDC says that cats, dogs and some other mammals can become infected with SARS-CoV-2, but “there is no evidence that animals play a significant role in the spread of SARS-CoV-2 to people.” There are no known cases of natural disease transmission in livestock, but out of an abundance of caution, the CDC says people infected with COVID-19 or suspected to have the disease should implement good biosecurity practices by avoiding close contact with animals, including pets, livestock and wildlife. The AFIA recommends that those who are concerned about the spread of the virus from or to animals learn more on the following websites: CDC, World Organisation for Animal Health and the American Veterinary Medical Association.
In December 2020, the CDC recommended that front-line essential workers, including food and agriculture workers and those within the manufacturing industry, should be in priority group “1B” for receiving COVID-19 vaccines. However, the CDC recommendation is merely a “guideline” for state and local jurisdictions, which oversee allocating vaccinations and have the flexibility to modify the distribution based on their needs. The AFIA suggests that members consult their local and state health departments to ensure they have the most current information on their facilities and employees as they rollout their vaccination plans.