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A Message from Dr. David Acheson
for World Food Safety Day 2020
(Sunday, June 07, 2020)
In recognition of the second observance of the UN-declared World Food Safety, tomorrow, June 7, The Acheson Group (TAG) would like to recognize and commend all those who work to keep the world’s food safe for consumers. As an expert team of food safety and public health consultants, TAG works with an outstanding group of clients who are genuinely interested in and focused on ensuring their food and beverage products are grown, produced, and sold in as safe a manner as possible.
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Despite the adversities of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have seen the food industry rise to the challenge and strive to continue a dedicated focus on food safety while working to safeguard their workers. It has not been easy, and the efforts have had to evolve as COVID-19 knowledge and understanding has evolved. But, as a whole, we are weathering the storm and looking to come out the other side with some new lessons, offerings, and technologies.
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We thank you all for your dedication, and we look forward to continuing to work with our long-standing clients, our newly partnered COVID-19-focused clients, and new food safety and public health clients we have yet to meet.
David Acheson
TAG President and CEO
Key Points
Updated: June 06, 2020
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Based on evolving evidence, the WHO advises that masks should be worn “where there is widespread [COVID-19] transmission and physical distancing is difficult, such as on public transport, in shops, or in other confined or crowded environments”.
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World Food Safety Day 2020 is tomorrow, June 07, 2020. Read below for a message from Dr. David Acheson and further information on World Food Safety Day 2020.
ICYMI Weekly Recap (June 01-05)
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Engineering controls (including ventilation, HVAC, and other considerations) for buildings and offices should be implemented to mitigate risk as businesses begin reopening. For more information on how airbone transmission of COVID-19 can be minimized, check out our Monday post. Not only is there new research; but, the CDC has provided new recommendations!
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Be wary of fraudulent products, including non-alcohol-based hand sanitizers. Please ensure that any hand sanitizer you purchase contains at least 60%-alcohol.
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This week, we talked a lot about face coverings and other risk mitigation strategies.
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New research continues to highlight the importance of physical distancing and face masks for reducing the risk of infection.
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Additional new research stresses the importance of masks and testing to “combat asymptomatic spread in aerosols and droplets”.
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Check out our analysis of mask usage throughout the world.
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The WHO advises that masks should be worn “where there is widespread [COVID-19] transmission and physical distancing is difficult, such as on public transport, in shops, or in other confined or crowded environments”.
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TAG does not recommend that face shields be used as a replacement for face masks. Read more for the rationale.
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Asymptomatic individuals (those who have COVID-19 but do not have any symptoms), are thought to be critical drivers of the spread of COVID-19.
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The CDC has updated its definition of “close contact” to define the length of time of contact from “a prolonged period of time” to “at least 15 minutes”.
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More and more companies are considering testing employees to be more protective.
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How might that impact you? Read more, here.
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The FDA is publicly sharing antibody test performance data from kits as part of a validation study. [Click Here for News Release]
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Sometimes COVID-19 testing (and the language used, what it’s for, etc.) can get really confusing. Luckily, the FDA just came out with a quick YouTube clip to break-it-down: “An Introduction to COVID-19 Tests”. Check it out below!
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Outbreak Updates
As of June 6, 2020 (08:51 ET), there are over 5,954,000 cases (>365,000 deaths) worldwide.
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Due to the increasing number of cases in the United States, TAG will move from reporting counts per country to focus on the United States, please see here for the data. For further information regarding worldwide numbers, please refer to John Hopkin University’s aggregate map.
Keep up to date with COVID-19:
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Please send us any questions, comments, and/or concerns! We are happy to talk with you.
OR call us at 1-800-401-2239
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