Coronavirus triggers sales of apples and pears

The output of pip fruit from the Catalan chambers over the last week has grown between 50 and 100%.

The outflow of apples and pears from the Catalan chambers detected in the weekly stock meeting held by Afrucat, the Catalan Fruit Business Association, has registered growth, compared to a normal week in March, between 50 and 100% according to the species and / or variety.

The sector imputes this growth to the demand that is being detected in the sales lines of the surfaces due to the alarm caused by the Coronavirus.

This fact means that the data collected as of February 29, showing a higher level in apples and pears, compared to February 2020 (in apples, we stood at 187,735 tons (t), 29% higher than last year and in pears of 41,796 t, 4% higher 2019) are not relevant at this time and we have to wait to see how sales develop in the coming days.

Strict measures at plants

The Catalan fruit plants have been working for a few days to make even more stringent the operating protocols, the hygienic, operational and accessibility guidelines for all venues.

To begin with, it is recommended to clearly inform the workers and avoid at all times the unnecessary tension caused by ignorance.

Contagions must be avoided by establishing a strict and clear hygiene protocol: disinfection of people; the input and output circuits; separation of workers in the workplace; the frequency of replacement of latex gloves; not using the services / common areas of dining room, cafeteria, water; maintaining a safe distance when talking to colleagues; periodic disinfection of work surfaces.

Work is also underway to temporarily rethink work shifts (for example doubling shifts with fewer hours, trying to divide teams, to minimize the risk of contagion). And it is recommended that personnel not necessary for the activity, such as carriers or supplier companies, do not enter the headquarters / offices.

Finally, we must take into account the statements of those responsible for the EFSA, the European Food Safety Authority, who have stressed that “the experiences of previous outbreaks show that transmission through food consumption did not occur”