Below you can find useful links to expert resources sorted by commodity. We will continue to provide updates to these resources as the situation changes and new information becomes available. Visit this page for a full list of General Industry Resources.

Food Industry Guidance on COVID-19

  • Visit this page from the CDC to find guidelines on making a COVID-19 communication plan for non-healthcare critical infrastructure employers. Posted on January 25, 2021.
  • Visit this page from the CDC to find a COVID-19 Vaccine Communication Toolkit for essential workers. Posted on January 25, 2021.
  • Visit this page from the CDC to find guidelines on ventilation as a mitigation strategy. Posted on December 8, 2020.
  • Visit this page from the CDC to find options of reducing quarantine for close contacts using symptom monitoring and diagnostic testing. Posted on December 7, 2020.
  • Visit this page from the CDC to find information for truck driver employees and what they need to know about COVID-19. Posted on December 2, 2020.
  • Visit this page from OSHA to find an information sheet with guidance on ventilation in the workplace. Posted on November 12, 2020.
  • Visit this page from the FDA to find their Employee Health and Food Safety Checklist for Human and Animal Food Operations During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Posted on August 24, 2020.
  • Visit this page from the CDC to find a Facility Assessment Checklist for Evaluation of COVID-19 Assessment and Control Plans. Posted on June 22, 2020.
  • Visit this page from the Cornell Craft Beverage Institute for reopening guidelines for New York State tasting rooms during the COVID-19 pandemic. Posted on May 28, 2020.
  • Visit this page to find Interim Guidance from the CDC and OSHA on COVID-19 management for Manufacturing Workers and Employers. Posted on May 26, 2020.
  • Post this sign at your main entrances, your break rooms, bathrooms, loading docks, etc. Posted on March 25, 2020.
  • Restaurants and other food service operations, that hold a valid State, County or City food service permit will be allowed, for a two-week period beginning March 20, 2020, to sell foods considered to be grocery items while the COVID-19 restrictions are in place.
  • FMI, The Food Industry Association, Coronavirus and Pandemic Preparedness for the Food Industry, Posted on March 17, 2020.
  • Visit this page from the CDC to find interim guidance for businesses and employers. Posted on March 17, 2020

What to Do When an Employee Tests Positive

  • Visit this page from the CDC to find information for employers on case investigation and contact tracing. Posted on August 5, 2020.
  • Visit this page from the FDA to find information on What to Do if You Have COVID-19 Confirmed Positive or Exposed Workers in Your Food Production, Storage, or Distribution Operations Regulated by FDA. Posted on April 28, 2020.
  • Visit this page from the CDC to find Interim Guidance for Implementing Safety Practices for Critical Infrastructure Workers Who May Have Had Exposure to a Person with Suspected or Confirmed COVID-19. Posted on April 13, 2020.
  • Visit this page from the Food and Beverage Issue Alliance (FBIA) to find Food Industry Recommended Protocols for when an Employee/Customer Tests Positive for COVID-19. Posted on April 7, 2020.

Guidance on Social Distancing

Personal Hygiene Guidance

Hand Hygiene

Respiratory Hygiene

  • Visit this page from the CDC to find information on how to improve the fit and filtration of your mask to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Posted on February 11, 2021.
  • Visit this page from the CDC to find information on how to improve how your mask protects you. Posted on February 10, 2021.
  • Visit this page from the CDC to find Considerations for Wearing Cloth Face Coverings. Posted on June 30, 2020.
  • Visit this page from WHO to find advice on the use of masks in the context of COVID-19. Posted on June 9, 2020.
  • Visit this page from the FDA to find information on the Use of Respirators, Facemasks, and Cloth Face Coverings in the Food and Agriculture Sector During Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Pandemic. Posted on April 28, 2020.
  • Visit this page from the New York State, Department of Health, and Agriculture and Markets to find their Health Advisory on COVID-19 and the use of cloth face coverings. Posted on April 13, 2020.
  • Visit this page from the USDA to find a notice to USDA employees about face coverings to help slow the spread of COVID-19. Posted on April 13, 2020.
  • Visit this page from the CDC to find information on cough etiquette. Posted on April 8, 2020.
  • Visit this page from the CDC to find information on the Use of Cloth Face Coverings to Help Slow the Spread of COVID-19. Posted on April 8, 2020.
  • Visit this page from the CDC to find a Recommendation Regarding the Use of Cloth Face Coverings in Areas of Significant Community-Based Transmission, including a video from the US Surgeon General on how to make your own face covering from items you can find around the house. Posted on April 8, 2020.
  • Visit this page from the CDC to find Questions and Answers on Cloth Face Coverings. Posted on April 8, 2020.
  • Visit this page from the FDA to find information on wearing Cloth Face Coverings in retail and food production settings to prevent exposure to COVID-19. Posted on April 8, 2020.

Cleaning & Sanitation Guidance

  • Visit this page from the EPA to find information on products that were tested directly against the virus that causes COVID-19. Posted on July 7, 2020.
  • United States Environmental Protection Agency, 6 Steps for Safe & Effective Disinfectant Use. Posted on May 15, 2020.
  • Visit this page from the United States Environmental Protection Agency to find a search tool for approved disinfectants included in the List N. The same tool can also be found as a phone app, “list n tool”. Posted on May 15, 2020.
  • Visit this page from Pesticide Safety Education Program, Cornell University Cooperative Extension to find information on how to safely use cleaning and sanitizing chemicals in your home and production facility. Posted on May 7, 2020.
  • Visit this page from the FDA to find information on Hand Sanitizers Sold with Fraudulent Claims. Posted on April 28, 2020.
  • Visit this page from the New York State, Department of Health, and Agriculture and Markets to find information on interim guidance for cleaning and disinfection of food manufacturing facilities or food retail stores. Updated on April 13, 2020.
  • Use these instructions from Ecolab to verify that your chemicals are on the EPA-registered list of chemicals active against COVID-19. Posted on March 31, 2020.
  • Visit this page from the New York State, Department of Health, and Agriculture and Markets to find information on interim guidance for cleaning and disinfection of retail stores. Posted on March 25, 2020.
  • Visit this page from the United States Environmental Protection Agency for information on disinfectants that can be used against coronavirus. Posted on March 17, 2020.
  • Visit this page from the New York State, Department of Environmental Conservation, Bureau of Pesticides Management for information about approved chemicals and important, state-specific restrictions Posted on March 17, 2020.
  • Visit this page from the New York State, Department of Environmental Conservation for the New York State registered disinfectants (based on EPA list) with important, state-specific restrictions. Posted on March 17, 2020.

Drinking-water & Waste Management Guidance

  • Visit this page from the World Health Organization to find information about water, sanitation, hygiene and waste management. Posted on March 17, 2020.
  • Visit this page from the U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration to find information about measures for protecting workers from exposure. Posted on March 17, 2020.

Audits & Inspections

  • Visit this page from the British Retail Consortium to find information on BRC072 BRC Global Standard Audits impacted by COVID-19. Posted on May 29, 2020.
  • Visit this page from the FDA to find information on their Temporary Policy Regarding Accredited Third-Party Certification Program Onsite Observation and Certificate Duration Requirements During the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency. Posted on May 1, 2020.
  • Visit this page from the FDA to find information on circumstances under which the FDA does not temporarily intend to enforce the requirement for an onsite audit. Posted on March 19, 2020.
  • Visit this page from the FDA to find information on their intention to temporarily not enforce supplier verification onsite audit requirements for receiving facilities and importers under FSMA in response to the global pandemic of COVID-19. Posted on March 18, 2020.

Maintaining a Functional and Safe Supply Chain

  • Visit this page from the Harvard Business Review to find information on how to prepare your supply chain. Posted on March 17, 2020.

If you have specific questions around ingredients, cleaning/sanitation chemicals and procedures, personnel practices, or other food safety, supply, and distribution changes due to the impact of COVID-19, reach out to our experts:

Our team can also provide process authority services in case you need to change processes and/or formulations due to COVID-19 related challenges. For more information visit the Cornell Food Venture Center and for dairy-related process authority services contact Rob Ralyea (rdr10@cornell.edu).

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This work is supported by USDA NIFA AFRI Grant NO:2020-68006-32875/ Accession no. 1024254 from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed on this website are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.