The Food & Grocery Council is assuring New Zealanders the grocery supply chain across New Zealand is operating as usual, so there is no need for panic-buying.

FGC’s Industry Relations Group is in regular contact with the major retailers Countdown Supermarkets, Foodstuffs North Island Limited and Foodstuffs (South Island) Ltd.

Chief Executive Katherine Rich says member companies have plans in place for all alert levels and will put them into action as needed.

“There is no doubt we will get through this pandemic. The work suppliers do as part of the food and grocery sector is essential to all New Zealanders.”

A reminder about what each of the alert level means is on the government Covid-19 website.

With reference to cool store workers testing positive and concerns around supermarket staff and customers having potentially been exposed to frozen products handled by those workers, FGC says it is keeping a watching brief on developments both via member companies and the FMCG sector reference group.

“We have been advised New Zealand Food Safety has reviewed the most recent science from around the world about the risk of being infected with Covid-19 through contact with food or food packaging, and to date it has seen no evidence of transmission via food or food packaging.”