Jul 26, 2021

Industry’s effort to protect farmworkers recognized by visit

United Fresh released the following statement regarding U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra’s July 23 visit to a farmworker COVID-19 vaccination clinic in Salinas, California, hosted by the Grower-Shipper Association of Central California and U.S. Rep. Jimmy Panetta, D-California.

“We are grateful for Secretary Becerra’s visit to see firsthand what our industry has done and continues to do to protect our most valuable resource, our companies’ workers. Since the beginning of the pandemic, the essential workers in the food supply chain did their jobs each and every day and our employers worked to make sure they did so in a safe environment. That commitment by both worker and employer kept food on the shelves, even during the darkest days of COVID.

“This effort to focus on farmworkers’ access to vaccinations is another step in that process to protect our workers and feed the world and we appreciate the secretary and the administration for their support and recognition of our industry’s efforts.”

To date, over 40,000 farmworkers have been vaccinated led by a partnership with the Grower-Shipper Association of Central California and Clinica de Salud del Valle de Salinas, which created a clinic focused exclusively on vaccinating farmworkers and their families.