Our response to COVID-19
During this unprecedented time, our purpose of enhancing quality of life is now more important than ever. From our supply chain, to our factories, and right through to your homes, we continue to work around the clock to ensure that we continue to meet the nutritional needs of your families and pets.
Our priorities remain:
1. safeguarding the safety and wellbeing of our employees, our collaborators, business partners and the communities we are a part of;
2. ensuring continued production and delivery of much-needed food and beverage products to help meet the nutritional needs of individuals and families;
3. stepping up relief efforts to local communities and healthcare professionals.
On the ground we are mobilizing Relief efforts in several ways around the Middle East and North Africa, including donations of food, beverages and bottled waters, as well as support for medical institutions, food banks and food-delivery organizations.
People are at the heart of our business. Therefore, the health and safety of our 15,000 employees in our region, business partners and the communities where we operate are extremely important to us. We are working very hard to keep them healthy, safe and supported.
Together with our supply chain, distribution and retail partners, we are working to ensure that food, beverages, pet food and bottled water are available around MENA. Our people are fully committed and are working tirelessly to ensure that supply is maintained.
For the last 154 years, our consumers, employees, business partners and communities have relied on us during the most challenging times. And today, we're right there with you in fighting this significant global challenge with flexibility, resilience, courage, and a caring heart.
The COVID-19 pandemic is a global problem and consequently we are offering help on the ground everywhere, drawing on our extensive presence and experience in 187 countries.
Our actions include:
Keeping our employees healthy, safe and supported
- In addition to our regular strict hygiene standards, putting in place additional safety measures in our factories, offices and distribution centers.
- Offering office-based employees the flexibility and needed setup to work from home whenever possible.
- Asking our employees worldwide not to travel internationally for business purposes.
- Advising and providing continuous awareness to employees on minimizing the risk of infection both at work and at home.
- Requesting that any employees who may be experiencing symptoms inform their line manager and self-quarantine for 14-days.
- Supporting our employees through this challenging period, by providing sick leave with full pay for those who contract the virus, for as long as they medically require.
- Working with our supply chain, distribution and retail partners to implement appropriate infection control measures and ensure continued production and delivery of products.
Joining forces with the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC)
- Donating food, medical nutrition products and bottled water, and supporting logistics to bring relief to those most affected by the pandemic.
- Globally donating CHF 10 million for immediate deployment in countries where it is most needed.
- Globally matching 1:1 any donations to the Red Cross and Red Crescent National Societies or Federation made by our employees.
- In the MENA region, providing food and medical support to the Iraqi Red Crescent Society, the Syrian Arab Red Crescent Society, the Tunisia Red Crescent, and the Emirates Red Crescent.
Helping with local relief efforts
- Providing support and donating food to authorities, medical institutions, food banks, NGOs and relief organizations in the frontline of the fight against this pandemic.
- Supporting physicians through sharing knowledge on new tailored COVID-19 medical nutrition treatment protocol.
- Providing prompt and pragmatic support to our business partners.
- Across MENA, we have supported 100,000 families and 50,000 healthcare professionals, and donated 10 Million Food and Beverage servings, 620,000 liters of water and 100,000 face masks. The initiatives are implemented in collaboration with more than 30 local entities in 17 countries.
Some of our ongoing efforts across MENA include:
We care deeply for people and for the communities in which we operate, and always strive to remain true to our purpose of Enhancing Quality of Life and Contributing to a Healthier Future. Food and beverages help keep people healthy and enhance their quality of life, and we want to meet our responsibility to provide good nutrition, especially for the most vulnerable in society.
