Coronavirus Information Hub

Updates & Announcements

You’ll find the latest developments here as well as on LinkedIn and Twitter. We issue an update on a Friday. To get the update direct to your inbox, sign up here.

Please get in touch via info@foodanddrink.scot if you have a specific question or concern.

Key issues update - Friday 22 January

Re-evaluate Covid controls and adherence to guidance

Whilst sounding like a broken record, it is difficult to emphasise too strongly the need to stay on top of the latest Covid-19 guidance for food and drink manufacturers. It is complex and enormously challenging operationally in parts but it is still key to minimising disruption in the event of an outbreak. The latest FSS guidance is here but I’d again draw particular attention to the risk management tool that is here.

As background to the risk, 1 in 5 of the workplace outbreaks of Covid in England are currently in food processing facilities.

Use of testing to manage risk

The enrolment of food companies in England to workplace testing is about to start in earnest. UK Government is paying the cost of testing kits, but it is companies responsibility to manage staff being tested on site. The same arrangements are not in place in Scotland yet but we are in active dialogue with Scottish Government on this. A meeting with the Public Health Minister is arranged to further progress the subject and officials are working behind the scenes. Because of the virulence of the new UK strain, it is hoped that identifying asymptomatic carriers early can prevent wider workforce infection, absence and disruption. We will keep you updated on the subject.

Latest news on restrictions

The current lockdown on mainland Scotland will now continue until at least the middle of February (including remote learning for school pupils). In addition, all the travel corridors that were in place (the countries exempt from quarantine requirements) have now been suspended until further notice, driven by the emergence of further Covid variants in South Africa and two in Brazil. Full detail on the current restrictions is available here.

Covid fund for brewers

A letter received from Finance Secretary Kate Forbes has said that the Covid brewers fund will open before the end of January. No detail has been published so please take this information cautiously and recognise it is all changeable. We have been discussing this fund for some time with Scottish Government and we understand it will be administered by local authorities who will contact brewers in their area. Grants are likely to be between £10,000 and £30,000 and linked to the rateable value of the business premises. We’ll share final detail with our brewing members once we have it.

All the best
James Withers

Covid-19 - Guidance for food business operators and their employees

Covid-19 - Guidance for food business operators and their employees (Updated January)

Food Standards Scotland has developed guidance by outlining ways that physical (social) distancing can be applied in food manufacturing and processing premises, as well as other mitigation measures that can be implemented by these businesses to enable them to adhere to government advice for preventing the spread of Covid-19.

The guidance for food business operators (FBOs) and their employees aims to assist all businesses in the food and drink sector in following government guidance on infection prevention and control measures against COVID-19. It has been produced with input from the food industry and Trade Unions and reflects the most up to date advice from Scottish and UK Government and Health Protection Scotland.

Click here to read the full guidance.

In addition, while not exhaustive, a checklist of some key Covid-19 controls to consider in the context of business risk assessments is available here.

Previous updates

Friday 15 January

Further restrictions, including on food/drink takeaways

As the lockdown on mainland Scotland continues, there are signs that the spread of the new variant is slowing however case numbers remain high. The First Minister has announced further restrictions this week. The most significant of which for some of our members is to takeaway services. The guidance on this has just been published and you’ll find it here.

In short, if you have a business that is predominantly a takeaway business, customers can no longer come indoors (but delivery drivers can). The guidance goes into some, helpful detail on where the line is drawn between a food retail outlet and a takeaway outlet.

Testing and vaccination – access for the food industry

We have written to Ministers on access for our sector to mass testing and to understand more about the prioritisation of vaccination, once the most clinically vulnerable groups are vaccinated. Testing is a crucial tool to help manage staff absence and disruption in the event of a Covid-19 outbreak. We hope to have a meeting shortly and will update thereafter.

Top-up funding for retail/hospitality

New top-up grants are available for businesses that have a hospitality or retail business affected by the Covid restrictions. The grants range from £6,000 to £25,000, above and beyond the rolling monthly grants. The detail is available here.

We continue to raise the issues of food and drink suppliers that are being further damaged by the closure of their normal markets and need for further financial support to be considered. The fund for Scotland’s breweries is scheduled to open in February and we will share detail of that as soon as we can. We have also pressed for the furlough deadline of 31 October 2020 for eligible employees to be extended.

A reminder of current restrictions.

The frequent changes in restrictions does cause confusion. A reminder that the ‘stay at home’ guidance (previously ‘level 4’ guidance) which affects all of mainland Scotland can be found here. Some islands remain in level 3 restrictions, the rules of which are here.

The latest list of countries exempt from some of the international travel restrictions is here. A new requirement for pre-departure testing for any travellers coming or returning to the UK is also being introduced. The detail is here.

I hope you all get some rest over the weekend and stay in touch as issues arise. As always, any feedback on these weekly updates are welcome.

All the best
James Withers

Friday 8 January

New restrictions and key workers

The new “level 4 plus” Covid restrictions took effect across the Scottish mainland at 00:00 hours on Tuesday and will be in place until 1 February. The new rules are set out clearly at the bottom of this webpage.

Key workers

Schools are now open to the children of key workers however, just like during the first lockdown, this should be seen as a measure of last resort for childcare. As a reminder, essential roles in food processing are deemed category 2 key workers, as set out in this matrix (used for Covid testing but still relevant). If any business is having a problem with their local authority/local school, the Scottish Government’s key worker hub has been activated again. This can offer support to businesses with complex queries around key worker status and you can contact that via keyworkers@gov.scot

Manufacturing clear to continue operations subject to ‘doubling down’ on compliance

The First Minister was clear this week that manufacturing can continue subject to ongoing compliance with Covid guidance. We had a meeting this week with Cabinet Secretary for the Economy, Fiona Hyslop. She has asked that the following key messages are relayed to the manufacturing sector and we would strongly echo them:

Double down on application of guidance - excellent compliance has allowed manufacturing to continue to operate: it is vital that businesses continue to ensure compliance with all guidance. A reminder, all the key guidance for the food and drink sector is here.
Failures to adhere to workplace physical distancing and hygiene measures including at meal times, car sharing and shared accommodation have been contributing factors in outbreaks.
Review operations to make sure that every single function that can be done by people working at home is being done in that way.
Canteens - for workplace canteens it is a requirement from Friday 8 January (inclusive) that employees sit 2 metres or more apart, rather than 1 metre.

Financial support for businesses & furlough

We have been in further discussions this week about support for food and drink suppliers badly affected from the closure of the hospitality market. There were further discussions with Government today and we have also asked for representations to be made to UK Government on furlough, to extend the deadline of 31 October for new employees to be eligible for furlough.

Keep an eye on our Twitter feeds for development on support as they occur. Again, evidence of financial harm helps us make our case with Government so please share this kind of insight via info@foodanddrink.scot

Coronavirus Information Hub

Updates & Announcements

Key issues update - Friday 22 January

Covid-19 - Guidance for food business operators and their employees

Covid-19 - Guidance for food business operators and their employees (Updated January)

Scotland Food & Drink Partnership Updates and Activity

Recovering from Coronavirus and fuelling Brexit preparation

Support for Businesses

Support for Businesses - Financial Assistance

Support for Businesses - Business Help

Support for Businesses - Webinars & Guides

Workforce

Workforce - Adapting Your Workplace

Workforce - Supporting your employees

Workforce - HR & Recruitment

Previous updates

Friday 15 January

Friday 8 January

December updates

November updates

October updates

September updates

August updates

July updates

June updates

May updates

April updates

March updates

Public heath advice

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