Clay Detlefsen, senior vice president of regulatory and environmental affairs for the National Milk Producers Federation and the private-sector chair of the Food and Agricultural Sector Coordinating Council – says that while shortages of grocery staples have eased in the U.S., shortages of personal protective equipment may linger into June – and that even after the coronavirus threat has ebbed, the era of masks and gloves for food-sector workers may be here to stay.
“I have to wonder if we just haven’t changed the game,” said Detlefsen in an NMPF podcast. “Are workers down the road, in the future, going to want wear those masks and gloves at all times? It’s quite possible. But if that doesn’t happen, I still think we have several more months of this.”
The Food and Agriculture Sector Coordinating Council was set up after the Sept. 2001 terror attacks to share information between government agencies and private businesses during crises that affect the U.S. food-supply chain. To listen to the full podcast, click here. You can also find the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, SoundCloud and Google Play. Broadcast outlets may use the MP3 file. Please attribute information to NMPF.
The National Milk Producers Federation, based in Arlington, VA, develops and carries out policies that advance dairy producers and the cooperatives they own. NMPF’s member cooperatives produce more than two-thirds of U.S. milk, making NMPF dairy’s voice on Capitol Hill and with government agencies. For more, visit www.nmpf.org.
