Dear Chico Natural Foods Cooperative owners and shoppers,
In good times and bad, grocery stores are a vital resource for their community. The Co-op is proud to be an ongoing source of life’s necessities during the unprecedented challenge of the coronavirus disease/COVID-19. As we learn how to best mitigate the impact of this global pandemic in our community, your co-op is working hard to provide an environment that minimizes risk to our staff, owners, shoppers, and vendors while still providing the best possible service to everyone in our community.
In light of the new, challenging situation Butte County finds itself in, I want to share the things we at CNFC are doing to best serve you, care for our staff, and be a responsible member of our community:
While Chico has had no reported COVID-19 infections, we have asked any staff exhibiting symptoms of respiratory illness or fever to stay home and notify their physician. Our co-op has a generous sick and vacation policy and a Crisis Leave Program to assist staff in challenging situations. We are working with employees on a case-by-case basis to ensure they have the support they need.
We currently have sanitizing wipes available at the entrance for you to wipe down your shopping cart. We have several hand sanitizer dispensers throughout the store for your use, including one around the corner at the entrance and one at the hot food and salad bar.
Following guidance from the CDC and other agencies, we have implemented even more rigorous cleaning practices throughout our store. This includes frequently sanitizing high-touch locations like payment machines, scales, bathroom areas and, as mentioned above, carts and handbaskets. We are also changing out hot and cold bar utensils on an hourly basis.
Our deli management team is ServeSafe (advanced food safety training) trained and excellent food safety standards are maintained in the co-op kitchen. We are rotating serving spoons and tongs hourly on the hot food and salad bar. Gloves are worn by all deli staff at all times.
We have suspended all demos in the store.
We are experiencing increased out of stocks from our distributors. It is likely that this will continue. It is possible that we will have missed deliveries due to the increased demand for staple items during this time. We are working hard to keep the co-op stocked.
We are working closely with our suppliers to ensure we have the essentials that you are seeking, like pantry staples, cleaning supplies, and health and body care items.
Throughout all of this, we are making additional efforts to demonstrate our gratitude to our staff who continue to work each day with commitment, compassion, and kindness to ensure our stores are stocked, clean, and ready to serve you.
We anticipate that guidance from federal, state and local agencies may change rapidly over the coming days and weeks. We will continue to monitor the guidance from public health institutions, and are in regular communication with fellow co-ops around the country as to how they are addressing many of the same challenges we are confronting. We in Butte County are resilient, and the Co-op is going to do everything it can to keep folks in our community healthy, fed, and safe.
I know you have many choices when it comes to where to purchase groceries. Thank you for choosing our co-op and for being an integral part of our community.
-Liza Tedesco
General Manager, Chico Natural Foods Cooperative