Bumble Bee’s Plant to Resume Work

LOWER TOWNSHIP – The Bumble Bee Foods facility on Ocean Drive will resume operations May 18, two months after “pausing” operations because of COVID-19.
According to Chief Operating Officer James Badet, plant management and their environmental health and safety teams have been working “closely together with the goal of starting operations on May 18.”
When operations stopped, employees were put on temporary unemployment with a hire back bonus in place to cover any financial gap, according to the company. They also provided health care benefits during that time.
Sixty-seven employees work at the food plant, producing chopped and minced clams, chowders, and broth. The company said it is not aware of any employee in the company who has contracted the virus.
Several enhanced safety measures will be established before employees return.
“The safety and health of our employees is always our top priority,” Badet said via email. “Several enhanced measures, including personal protection equipment, physical distancing, staggering processes, sanitation and health and temperature screenings, will be implemented.
“We’re following all guidelines from the CDC, WHO, OSHA and FDA and are adopting best practices from trade organizations, as well as other manufacturers that we’re talking with on a frequent basis,” he added.
Although Badet said that, according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), there is no evidence of food or food packaging being associated with COVID-19 transmission, “the good manufacturing practices that are so well ingrained in our daily routines at our plants are creating the best possible environment to reduce the spread of any virus.”
“Those standards protect the food we produce and protect the employees who produce it,” Badet said. “Our processes are highly automated, and very little human touching occurs after the product is heat treated, packaged and distributed. The heat treatment renders the outside of the package free of any organisms, such as bacteria and viruses that might cause illness.”
With possible meat shortages being reported by national media, Badet said the company “has been in business for more than a century and has deep experience in supply chain management.”
“We are in constant communication with both our suppliers and customers,” Badet said. “We are confident in our ability to navigate consumer demand moving forward.”
Badet said they had a build-up of supply in the Cape May facility based on the seasonality of production that caused them to pause operations.
“That inventory is beginning to diminish and we’re starting up production soon so we can met consumer needs in the weeks ahead,” he said. “We are ramping up our purchase of raw materials, adding production days in some of our facilities, expanding our sourcing efforts, and narrowing our focus on delivering our most in-demand products to market.”
According to its website, Bumble Bee Seafoods is North America’s largest branded shelf-stable seafood company, offering a full line of canned and pouched tuna, salmon, sardines and specialty seafood products marketed in the U.S. under leading brands, including Brunswick, Sweet Sue, Snows, BeachCliff and Wild Selections.
The Cape May facility has been operating for 40 years.
To contact Karen Knight, email kknight@cmcherald.com.