Mary Beth Nierengarten, a journalist for the publication Food Quality & Safety, interviewed EFI’s Executive Director, Peter O’Driscoll to learn more about the disruptions in the supply chain due to COVID-19.
“For the produce industry to survive the pandemic, you need to professionalize the workforce. This was our basic tool before COVID-19. When COVID-19 hit, our growers said they had the worker-manager dialogue piece ready to go. They were able to talk to their leadership teams about the crisis and how to make the real mitigation steps work,” said O’Driscoll.
EFI-certified farms have a worker-management committee to solve problems that arise, such as COVID-19. These teams are comprised of members from across the workforce. The groups have harvesters, sprayers, quality control individuals, irrigators, and managers. They are also trained by EFI in problem-solving, conflict resolution, and communication strategies.
