Pioneer Food Cannery, Ghana Statement regarding COVID-19

We are able to confirm we have had an employee that tested positive for COVID-19. The positive test results were received on 17th April 2020 and we immediately closed Pioneer Food Cannery (PFC) on a temporary basis for disinfection and cleaning, as well as any necessary self-quarantining of staff and tracing of contacts to identify any potential risks. These efforts were carried out in collaboration with the local health and government authorities.

During the closure of PFC, we facilitated COVID-19 testing of our employees, working alongside the Ghanaian government and The Tema Metro Health Directorate. We are working with the health authorities to receive the full and complete results of those tests. Additionally, some employees have been asked to report for re-testing. We are working closely with the authorities on this and to confirm test results.

As a food processor, we already operate to the highest standards of cleanliness and hygiene to both protect our staff and to maintain the safety and high quality of our products. These standards were bolstered in light of the COVID-19 pandemic to include such additional measures as temperature checks at entrances and exits to PFC, provision of alcohol rubs to facilitate hand sanitizing regularly, social distancing, wearing of masks and requiring self-declaration of any symptoms as well as regular monitoring of staff health. We are in constant contact with our employees to monitor their health and reinforce to them the importance of following all guidelines and precautionary measures to prevent spread of the virus.

The health and safety of our employees is our highest priority and it is important to us that they are looked after and reassured. At the same time, we are doing everything in our power to ensure continuity of our operations and securing the supply of food to consumers. We will provide further updates in due course.

For any enquiries, please contact:

John Merva
European Communications Manager, Thai Union
john.merva@thaiunion.com