US health food stores to remain open as retailers struggle to safeguard nutrition access

23 Mar 2020 --- COVID-19 has created an entirely new set of nutritional challenges around the world as supply chains are threatened and supermarket shelves become empty. In a win for industry, guidance from the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will likely allow health food stores and supplement manufacturers to remain open. Meanwhile, supermarkets and other retailers are also taking steps to ensure that consumers will continue to have access to essential foods.

“We have a responsibility to stay open and provide essential services, and that is exactly what we are going to do. Health-food stores that provide nutritional supplements and other health and wellness products will remain open at the discretion of business owners,” says Daniel Fabricant, President and CEO of the Natural Products Association (NPA).

The organization had penned letters to governors of all 50 US states, as well as US President Donald Trump, asking for health food stores selling nutritional supplements to be deemed “essential businesses,” and thus remain open. 

The NPA has now stated that its members, including thousands of health food stores in Pennsylvania, California and Florida, can remain open following DHS guidance and Trump’s declaration that workers in critical infrastructure have a “special responsibility” to continue working. 

The essential critical infrastructure workers as deemed by the DHS include workers supporting groceries, pharmacies and other retail that sells food and beverage products; food manufacturer employees and their supplier employees; employees and firms supporting food, feed and beverage distribution; and workers in food testing labs. 

Also included are employees of companies engaged in the production of chemicals, medicines, vaccines and other substances used by the food and agriculture industry. These include pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers, minerals, enrichments and other agricultural production aids. 

However, DHS says that the list is designed to help State and local officials, and is advisory in nature. It is not a federal directive or standard in and of itself. The DHS recommends that officials use their own judgment in using their authorities and issuing implementation directives and guidance.

Holland & Barrett recently place a limit on immunity lines to two units per customer.Supermarkets team up
Retailers across the globe are shifting their policies to ensure that there are enough supplies to go around. UK-based Holland & Barrett has recently placed a limit on certain foods and immunity lines to two units per customer. However, many nutritional products have not been deemed to be essential by Amazon, which is temporarily prioritizing household staples, medical supplies and other high-demand products coming into its fulfillment centers.

Supermarkets have also been taking steps to keep food on shelves as stockpiling consumers put the supply chain at risk. Early last week, UK food retailers wrote a joint letter asking consumers to be considerate in the way they shop, discouraging stockpiling and panic buying.  

A few days later, the UK government temporarily relaxed elements of competition law as part of a package of measures to allow supermarkets to work together. The move allows retailers to share data with each other on stock levels, cooperate to keep shops open and share distribution depots and delivery vans.  

Across the Atlantic, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a temporary policy for FDA FSMA supplier verification onsite audit requirements during the COVID-19 public health emergency. “While our grocery stores are facing unprecedented demand, we are working with industry to minimize disruptions in the supply-chain due to COVID-19 related travel restrictions,” says FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn. 

Edited by Katherine Durrell