JBS USA operates more than 60 meat, poultry and prepared foods facilities across the United States. As such, our role in providing food for Americans – and citizens around the globe – is critical. Ensuring the health and safety of our team members as we fight COVID-19 is even more critical.
That’s why we are focusing our efforts to help combat the spread of the virus and keep it out of our facilities while protecting our team members and the communities where we operate. Since the onset of the pandemic, JBS USA has continually partnered with expert epidemiologists and medical professionals to evaluate our protocols.
We are following, and often times exceeding, all guidance provided by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and local health departments to prevent the potential spread of COVID-19. JBS USA has invested more than $360 million in enhanced safety measures and increased wages and bonuses to date.
Enhanced Safeguards & Team Member Bonuses
At JBS USA, we recognize our responsibility as a food company during this unprecedented crisis and have continuously evolved operations, based on the latest available guidance from experts, to improve coronavirus preventive measures.
To date, we have invested more than $200 million in health and safety measures to protect our workforce and more than $160 million in increased wages and bonuses.
Our free surveillance testing program allows us to quickly identify potential introduction of COVID-19 from the community into our plants and mitigate spread through immediate quarantine and contact tracing procedures. It also gives us the opportunity to continually assess and validate the effectiveness of our preventive measures and entrance screening protocols as the virus spreads across the country.
We also enhanced our health benefits to retroactively cover 100 percent of all COVID-19 related health expenses for our team members and their family members enrolled in our health insurance plan. With implementation of this policy, no JBS USA team member enrolled in our plan will pay an out-of-pocket health expense associated with coronavirus.
Community Investment
JBS USA is investing $50 million in the local communities where our team members live and work. The Hometown Strong program includes contributions to alleviate food insecurity, strengthen long-term community infrastructure and well-being, and support COVID-19 emergency response and relief efforts. This investment reaffirms our longstanding commitment to towns and cities across the country.
Visit hometownstrong.jbssa.com to learn more.
During the coronavirus pandemic, JBS USA has been a community partner and generously donated beef to local food banks and also provided leadership and innovation on worker safety and plant management. The Hometown Strong initiative continues JBS USA’s commitment to our community and our future, and we look forward to a wonderful community partnership.
Roger Steele
Mayor, Grand Island, Neb.
Adapting & Adjusting
JBS USA has fundamentally changed the way we do business as a result of COVID-19. We have instituted hundreds of interventions and policies to provide a safe working environment for our team members. We developed a COVID-19 training program, which is updated frequently, that includes specific instructions on how to stay safe at work, as well as how to stay safe at home and when in the community. As this health crisis continues to evolve, we will continue to adapt and adjust our approach as necessary.