The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices has recommended that grocery store workers and foodservice workers receive the vaccine in the next phases of the rollout. Frontline essential workers (including food and agriculture and grocery store workers) are included in Phase 1b and foodservice workers are included in Phase 1c. Other essential workers included in these groups are first responders, teachers, postal service workers, transportation and logistics workers, and public safety engineers.
In a statement, FMI has applauded this decision. Leslie G. Sarasin, president and CEO of FMI, said, “Beginning in the initial days of the pandemic, food industry workers have been a vital component of ensuring Americans have access to safe, nutritious, and affordable food, as well as other consumer products that have been indispensable to pandemic response. Prioritizing COVID-19 vaccinations for these frontline workers will help keep Americans nourished by protecting the nation’s supply of food and essential consumer goods.”
