Food

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Peanut butter makers are churning out as much product as they can and they can’t do it fast enough to meet the unprecedented demand from families who are desperate to keep their pantries stocked during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A turbulent couple of months for meatpackers and their employees has placed a fresh focus on the industry’s capacity to process the chicken, pork and beef on American dinner plates.

As businesses closed their doors and stay-at-home orders were put in place, consumers purchased more dairy products, the National Milk Producers Federation says.

Testing of workers at meatpacking plants may receive more attention in the next version of guidance meant to reduce the risk of COVID-19 infection at those facilities, the head of the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health said Thursday.

Senate Democrats, setting the stage for a new COVID-19 relief bill, are proposing to spend $8 billion to bolster the food supply chain and to redistribute surplus commodities.

Farmers will get some welcome relief starting next month from the market impact of the coronavirus, but it will take a second round of payments to keep many in the black this year, and producers may face similar problems into next year.

The desert locust, generally considered one of the most devastating pests in the world to agriculture, has been hitting farmers hard in the Horn of Africa as well as the Arabian Peninsula for six months, devouring crops and pasture. With COVID-19, the situation has gone from bad to worse.

Some specialty crop growers are concerned about labor shortages, increased COVID-19 costs, and future market demand.

Plant-based foods are enjoying significant sales increases during the COVID-19 pandemic, the association that represents the companies that make them said Tuesday.