SPECIAL FEATURE: Company

COVID-19 PANDEMIC SPECIAL

COVID-19 Company announcements…

We at Kennedy’s wanted to do our bit to serve the confectionery community and felt it necessary to support other businesses during these difficult times. The following statements have been provided by companies who wish to declare their response during the COVID-19 crisis. Be sure to visit each website for more information…

CAPOL

To our customers, suppliers, partners & friends of the CAPOL group - above all, we hope that you all stay safe and healthy! The last weeks from the outbreak to the on-going pandemic of the coronavirus disease have changed the world as we knew it, both in private life as well as on a business level. At CAPOL, we have taken preventive measures to protect the health of our employees and to ensure the delivery capabilities for our worldwide customers. We are glad to inform you that at this moment in time, we are able to meet all demands and that our teams are ready to provide you any support you may need in these challenging times.

As the pandemic of COVID-19 continues to develop, the situation is dynamic, and we are monitoring it very closely in view of guidance from the relevant authorities. Our priority is to ensure the safety and health of our employees, delivering stable and reliable performance for our business partners while doing our part to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus within the society. Consequently, wherever possible, CAPOL employees are working from home. For operations critical staff on site, we implemented social distancing policies and put additional precautionary measures in place to achieve a maximum protection of our production facilities.

CAPOL’s facilities are currently operating at capacities that meet or exceed our current foreseeable demand. There are no or

CHR Hansen

To ensure consistent supply and quality for our customers and health and safety of both customers and our employees, we have established a Crisis Management Team (CMT) at Chr. Hansen Group Level. The Crisis Management Team has frequent status meetings and stays connected to authorities and experts to diligently evaluate which actions are required to mitigate this crisis situation. only slight delays. However, we are monitoring restrictions in national and international freight traffic for potential business impact. The pandemic will have still unpredictable effects on the global economy and supply chains. As indicated, our current operations continue to meet foreseeable demands; however, we recognize this dynamic situation requires diligent monitoring and prompt actions.

In these times of uncertainty, please rest assured that we will continue to monitor the situation and stay in close contact with you to provide updates whenever necessary. As the situation develops, we will keep agile, adapt to the circumstances and provide the best possible service.

Our thoughts are with all those who have been impacted by the virus, either by sickness or by the effects of the pandemic. May those in medical care get well soon. Our thanks go out to all those fighting the pandemic in front line, especially the medical staff, and to the everyday heroes who keep necessary services running for the society.

While working from home, our teams are still available for you as usual. Let us stay in touch and please do not hesitate to contact your CAPOL sales representative if you have any further questions. Meanwhile you can also get in touch with us online: Have a look at www.capol.de or follow us on LinkedIn (linkedin.com/company/ capol-gmbh) for the most recent updates.

We are all in this together and we remain confident that there are shiny times for the world ahead again! All the best for you, your

families and colleagues. Stay well and healthy.

The health and safety of Chr. Hansen employees are of highest priority. In addition to WHO’s standard recommendations and local Governmental guidelines, Chr. Hansen has, for all sites and offices, taken the needed precautions to mitigate risk of spreading the virus, through a strong focus on hygienic measures, as well as ensuring business continuity by segregating teams in key operational functions.

This includes a working-from-home set-up for a certain number of key staff, which will allow us to continue operations in case of staff being infected with the virus. We are very proud of the…

…swiftness and smoothness with which these measures have been implemented by our employees worldwide, demonstrating a huge engagement and dedication of our colleagues in these challenging times.

Chr. Hansen Natural Color Division’s supply chain continues to be well positioned in securing supply due to healthy stock levels and multiple sourcing routes on a global scale ensuring agility and a competitive edge. Our factories worldwide are running full speed and inventories are well loaded. Due to the unpredictable nature

Extrufood

In spite of COVID-19, Extrufood are continuing work in full force. The manufacturing of machines and spare parts is acting as normal, with companies all over the world continuing to benefit from our advanced technology and constant innovation.

The rest of the year is looking positive for us at Extrufood as we are set to attend Interpack (now postponed until February of 2021) with an proven and most popular products for the confectionery industry.

Next year at Interpack, we intend to connect with the leading names in the industry and look forward to witnessing the biggest trends and innovations that will shape the future. We have also been developing an innovative 8-color system this year and are pleased to share more details on this very soon.

In addition, Extrufood have an exciting television program announcement. Dutch TV Channel, RTL-Z, have aired a special feature on the extrusion company in a program called ‘How it’s Done’ – a series of documentaries, showing innovating Dutch companies making unique products. The show tells stories about developments, innovations and opportunities in a range of sectors.

Extrufood’s TV item shows an interview with Managing Director, Martijn Hillenius, a tour of our factory and a running lab line in their technology centre, showing the making of an extruded fruit liquorice product.

We wish all of our clients and valued customers the best during these difficult times. Stay positive and stay safe!

IPCO

We face an unprecedented situation in the COVID-19 pandemic and this requires us all to change the way we work in order to protect the health of our colleagues, customers, suppliers and partners. As a responsible business we are following WHO guidelines to the letter, taking all necessary precautions and adhering to regional and national restrictions. of this situation we cannot say how the situation will look like in a week or two from now. We cannot completely avoid it having an impact on lead time or supply ability for individual items, but we have contingency plans to mitigate if it happens. These include possibly transferring production to other sites to the extent possible.

Our commercial teams are currently working from home, while our R&D team is maintaining some work in the labs observing strict guidelines. We continue to work on existing projects and have been able to connect with some customers through digital platforms for webinars and customer project reviews. Some customer projects are currently on hold, and the restart will depend on the length of global quarantine policies across countries and companies.

The focus right now is on business continuity, both for us as well as our customers. Consumer insight work and market research will require more data points to determine which demographics are structurally affected beyond the current quarantine period across the globe. However, in line with consumers worldwide having to cook and eat at home, we can see

80 m2 section to exhibit their lab extruder as well as many of their well

activity in the prepared foods segment rising at the moment.

Hans Brunner

To our customers and business partners - the fast spread of the Coronavirus and the serious consequences caught us all off guard. We hope that you will overcome this crisis without serious economic damage and especially in good health.

The business operations of the company HANS BRUNNER GmbH will continue as usual. Thereby, our focus is the healthiness of our employees, customers and suppliers. We are strictly following the restrictions prescribed by the authorities as a protection against infections.

Our employees are following the hygiene rules and keep distance from each other. A lot of our employees also have the opportunity to work from home and are available for you as always. Under these circumstances, all projects are continuing as planned. We are still processing inquiries for new projects, mould re- orders or orders from our standard assortment.

Our online shop www.brunnershop.com is also available for you day and night. As we are planning our material requirements far in advance, we have currently no limitations in regard to material supply.

We are observing this situation with fullest attention and diligence and have daily conference calls in order to be able to continue with our business operations in a normal way. That is why we are still very pleased to receive your inquiries and are doing our best to meet all your requirements.

We wish you and your family as well as your employees all the

best - stay healthy!

Delivering our usual standards of customer service will be challenging but we are doing everything in our power to respond to requests for support as promptly, effectively and efficiently as possible.

With a network of sales and service offices covering Europe, North and South America, Asia/Pacific, Africa and the Middle East, we have a local presence in all our key markets. In addition, we are using innovative digital tools to further enhance our service capability.

Please contact your local IPCO office if you require more information.

LoeschPack

The recent developments on the Corona Virus have a tremendous impact on Germany as on the rest of the world. We rely on that together; we will withstand this taxing time and invite you to look ahead with confidence.

The good news first: In spite of restraints and limitations, of course we are aimed to still remain at your services and are continually working on present projects – even if more electronically than we prefer. Luckily our supply chains are not facing any discrepancies and we are able to almost unrestricted, sustain our production.

We promise to have taken all necessary measures, as well as numerous pre-emptively actions to protect our employees and their families, enabling child care and care for the elderly.

In the last couple of weeks our employees are working from home when possible and the encounters in the premises have been reduced to an imperative level, always in pursuance of the imposed minimum distance.

The visits of customers, suppliers and partners were ceased and were shifted to the digital world, in order to minimize the number of visitors on the premises. In addition, specific measures were implemented for

Houdijk Holland

Even in these challenging times, where we tend to live from day-today, it is good to sit back and think of the future. Obviously our first focus will be centred around ensuring people’s well-being and health. But secondly our focus will also need to be on how the Covid-19 crisis will change the way we produce, package, market and consume cookies and crackers. We at HOUDIJK HOLLAND think that there is now a convergence of three trends: Individualization, Sustainability and Health - each driving innovation in our industry: 1. The need to produce a larger range of product and packaging combinations, to cater to more individual tastes 2. The demand for smaller packages, to ensure freshness for individual consumers, to prevent over-consumption and to decrease food waste 3. The continuation of plastic overwraps, to ensure freshness and protection against pathogens 4. The change from plastic trays to no trays or trays made of sustainable materials, such as paper/carton The key word in any future packaging system will be flexibility: not only to cover the ultimate outcome of these three trends, but also to cover the road to this outcome. In other words: a biscuit packaging system needs to be able to handle the current scope, but also any (potential) future scope (e.g. switching from plastic trays to cartons trays or switching from piles in trays to piles without tray).

MFG Tray

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, we at MFG Tray are still open for business. MFG Tray, as a life-sustaining business may remain in operation under the provision for Plastics Product Manufacturing.

The health, wellness and safety of our Teammates and our Customers are always of paramount importance to MFG Tray Company as is ensuring continuity of services and products to our customers without disruption. We will remain diligent in our endeavours to reduce the staff on site, regarding sanitary actions and safety regulations, to furthermore grant, being a reliable business partner.

We thank you in advance for your understanding, if we are limited in executing service, differently than you are used to. For your convenience we outlined in the FAQs the reachability: If you are facing difficulties on a Loesch machine, for which you urgently require a spare or wear part: then please contact the service team at: +49 (0) 9545 449 0 or send us an email: service@loeschpack.com. We will be aimed to soonest support the long-term operational readiness of your equipment.

If you are planning a packaging task and need to discuss further details, will you have accessibility to the Loesch specialists: Of course! Our sales managers are looking forward to receiving your call at +49 (0) 9545 449 0 resp. your email at sales@loeschpack.com. If you wish you can also contact your already known sales representative by mobile or email. We are also happy to set up a video chat for your convenience.

If you are curious to know about the latest events at Loesch or Hastamat and you want to know how to package your products more efficiently?

Please feel free to visit our websites www.loeschpack.com or www. hastamat.com and get inspired.

We remain true to our motto: Packaging your ideas!

But most importantly – Please stay safe and healthy!

HOUDIJK HOLLAND has developed several products that meet this challenge: the so-called COOKIEBOT (robotic) system, in combination with COOKIEDOZER and FLEXWRAP technology allows multiple product/package combinations, with a minimal change-over: • any shape (sandwich) biscuits and cookies • piles and slugs • with tray and without tray • single cell and multiple cells • plastic trays and carton/paper trays

A (random) infeed of products will first be inspected with 3D/2D vision technology. A COOKIEBOT system will then position the products in a particular pattern on two counterflow conveyors, which run alongside the main COOKIEBOT conveyor. At the end of each counterflow conveyor an (exchangeable) ‘mould’ is positioned: with the use of the patented COOKIEDOZER a batch of products is pushed through the ‘mould’, which is shaped in such a special way that rolls or piles can be created. These rolls or piles are then pushed or placed in the perpendicularly placed FLEXWRAP flow wrapper infeed. The FLEXWRAP is a line-air servo-track system, with individually controlled carriers, which bring the slugs or piles directly into the folding box of the wrapper.

When tray-loading, trays or cartons can first be placed into the FLEXWRAP with an automatic tray de-nester. The empty trays are then placed underneath the loading position. The system can handle and wrap up to 1.500 products per minute. Change-over time is less than 15 minutes and largely consists of exchanging the mould.

For further information: please contact one of our Sales Managers

(at www.houdijk.com). exposure but will remain in operation as scheduled.

Produced with formulations to meet and exceed the demanding use and storage requirements in many industries, MFG Tray composite products are designed to be cleanable and easy to disinfect. These features can help meet the challenge of preventing the spread of COVID-19.

All materials used in the construction of MFG Tray products are listed in NSF Standard No. 2 and in the USFDA Code of Federal Regulations, Title 21. MFG Tray confectionery trays have been independently tested and certified per EEC Directives.

To view our most current COVID-19 policies, see us online at www. mfgtray.com/mfg-and-covid-19/

Mrs Tilly’s

The 23 years since the Mrs Tilly’s confectionery brand was first created in a family kitchen in Tillicoultry have, as you may expect, been eventful. However, the recent issues due to Coronavirus are of course unprecedented and pose an entirely new set of challenges for all of us.

The implications of the current pandemic are far reaching for all of us, both in our personal and business lives. At Mrs Tilly’s the immediate priority was the health of our staff and decisions were taken early to wind down our production – with a full factory closure from 3rd April with the expectation that a further review will be taken around mid-May to assess the viability of returning to normal operations by early June at the latest.

One silver lining for the business has been that over the past few years we have invested heavily in our production capabilities – carefully balancing automation while at the same time, protecting the authenticity of our long-established product range which has become one of Scotland’s most popular and has also secured a foothold in many international markets around the world.

The upside of this investment meant that we came into the crisis with good stock holdings on our Fudge & Toffee ranges from which we have been able to maintain supply to our customers with the majority of our range - but more importantly it also means we are well equipped to react quickly to any new and existing demand as things return to some normality.

Our range now covers Fudge in a variety of formats and flavours – suitable for impulse, all year round, and seasonal. From our best-selling original flavour to our other options including Belgian Chocolate or Sea Salt we have a wide range of premium fudge to suit any opportunity. All of our Fudge ranges are produced with 12 months shelf life at the date of manufacture at our BRC AA accredited site in Larbert, central Scotland.

We have significant capabilities in fudge & toffee production, both branded and private label and are of course available to discuss new opportunities – including NPD – for both short- and long-term requirements. Indeed, our festive order book is already filling up as our partners look to the future and hopefully some sense of stability in trading patterns.

In short, while it may not quite be business as usual for some time – as the restrictions are eased over the coming weeks & months – we will be well placed to service our current customer base as well as any new opportunities – both domestically and internationally. The safety of our staff will remain our top priority as we look to move forward under the “new normal.”

For further information contact: orders@mrstillys.co.uk

Orchard Valley

With the unprecedented, incredibly challenging and everchanging situation, our key workers in the UK are constantly at the forefront of our minds. At Orchard Valley the production, warehousing and quality team, who are classified in this sector, continue to produce products for the retail sector especially in the home baking category, to keep products in full supply and by doing so help to retain some normality at this worrying time.

Home baking might not be seen as critical to the nation at first glance, but when we consider the number of children being home schooled and having access to products which allows some creative baking – it seems to be increasingly popular to create fun and practical educational activities.

However, the sector the OVF team are so very proud to support are the range supplied to meal manufacturers for the NHS, the care homes and to home deliveries for the elderly. The volumes are increasing quite considerably, and the team are pulling out all the stops to ensure we can meet these increased demands. Our suppliers, knowing the importance of this sector, have been incredible, ensuring we can take some priority in order to meet these demands.

To all the key workers throughout the supply chain, people making this happen including the suppliers, truck drivers and support staff. Without this continued backing we would not be able to play our part in feeding the nation.

At times like this we hear so many good news stories to share; one neighbour to OVF, The Temeside Inn, despite having an awful year as a result of flooding and the closure of pubs and restaurants are an amazing example of this.

Not only have the Temeside shown support for OVF they have started to provide items they can source though their own suppliers to those in need locally at cost and now on Friday they commence a Take-Away food service for many of their menu items.

Sacmi

Despite the COVID-19 health emergency that is now affecting not just Italy but many other countries worldwide, SACMI Packaging & Chocolate is still doing everything possible to ensure smooth management of orders, deliveries and assistance services.

While recent nationwide measures implemented by the Italian Government (e.g. the most recent Ministerial Decree of 22nd March 2020 containing further restrictions to halt the spread of the COVID-19 virus) have placed significant limits on businesses, we wish to reassure you that our company has been granted permission to continue its operations as it is recognised as performing an essential role within the food supply chain.

We are, of course, unable to foresee how this scenario might change in the future or whether there will be any repercussions affecting how we are able to do business. We are, though, monitoring the situation closely and shall do our utmost to minimise any effects, thanks also to the extraordinary commitment of our personnel; despite this, any negative impact shall be deemed as stemming from force majeure circumstances.

From the earliest stages of the emergency, the SACMI Group has taken all necessary measures to safeguard the health of its personnel, customers and suppliers.

Even where national health authorities in individual countries have imposed restrictions on travel, SACMI still ensures customers can count on constant support worldwide thanks to its Global Network and the strengthening of on-line platforms and remote assistance.

Sensient Colors

At Sensient, our sole focus right now is to provide service to customers so that they can get food to everyone around the world. Specifically, we would like to share some of our key priorities: - Providing a safe work environment for our employees - Proactive and ongoing communication with our customers as conditions change - Utilising our global manufacturing capabilities to avoid supply disruptions - Increasing inventories on raw materials wherever possible Sensient Colors is committed to doing everything we can to supply needed ingredients to food, beverage, and pet food manufacturers. We are also preparing for what the world might look like post-coronavirus. As Sensient CEO Paul Manning states, “We have to do our jobs and make our products, because no matter what else happens, people need to eat and take medications.” We will remain open for business.

SugarSin

At SugarSin we care passionately about the welfare of all our customers, and throughout these most challenging of times we have had to adapt our business to remain safe and responsible for our staff and our customers.

Although (sadly) our much loved Covent Garden store is currently closed, we are happy to announce that we are still very much open for business and are looking to serve our customers by taking orders online at www.sugarsin.com or mail orders by email to hello@sugarsin.co.uk.

We offer contact-free home deliveries on the sweetest gifts and treats. This not only includes our glass jars and pouches of cocktail & fruit gummies, but also includes our range of pick ‘n’ mix of approx. 120 sweets types, chocolates, fudge, luxury coated nuts, and not forgetting our Swedish liquorice.

The team at SugarSin is keen to do our little bit to help maintain valued and important morale and social cohesion at a distance. Sweet treats are foods that most UK households want to have in their homes, whether that is the joy of sending or receiving an unexpected delivery of our sweets or chocolate from someone you love or the happy ritual of indulging in your favourite sweets, we are here to facilitate this.

The team at SugarSin also wish to extend our thanks to all frontline workers. Our nurses, doctors, paramedics, and others are working tirelessly round the clock and harder than ever – we hope to bring these workers a touch of joy and some light relief as we navigate these uncharted waters together. That is why we have partnered with Blue Light Card and are offering 20% off all our sweets to NHS staff and emergency workers as a small token of our thanks.

Tanis Food Tec

Covid-19 is making its effects felt all over the world on our families, companies and networks. Most importantly, we hope you and your family are well during these challenging and rapidly changing times.

All the preventative measures associated with it have posed tremendous challenges for all of us. Home office workplaces were established for as many of our associates as possible – engineering, project management, sales, marketing, spares & service, research & development, and the finance department.

These changes make it possible to contact our personnel in every manner you are already familiar with. You can reach us always by email, phone, or conference software. Our production sites will continue to operate - we have taken appropriate protective measures at all of our locations and our employees are fully versed in the new rules of conduct.

Where travel is still allowed, we have service personnel available globally to deploy on-site if needed. Our remote servicing, as well as our telephone lines, are still here and available for you.

We thank you for your support and loyalty in these difficult times.

Uncle Joe’s

Uncle Joe’s Mint Balls has increased production of its Throat and Chest and Herbal Cough lozenges to help people suffering from the effects of coronavirus.

Bosses at Wigan-based William Santus and Co Ltd, which produces the iconic Uncle Joe’s Mint Balls, continues to supply major retailers but have also stepped up its online sales and delivery service as more and more people selfisolate at home.

The throat and chest lozenges contain menthol to ease a sore throat and eucalyptus to tackle fever, and the herbal cough sweets contain a blend of ten different herbs which includes horehound, which eases lung and breathing problems.

John Winnard MBE, Joint Managing Director of Uncle Joe’s, said: “Although people can still buy Uncle Joe’s Mint Balls in the normal way, in the light of the current situation with coronavirus and the number of enquiries we have been receiving, we have decided to dedicate more production to our Throat & Chest and Herbal Cough lozenges.

“It is important to point out that we are not claiming the sweets can tackle the COVID-19 virus but we hope they can sooth some of the symptoms and our online service can allow people to enjoy some sweets delivered to their door.”

John and Joint Managing Director Antony Winnard, the great, great nephews of the company’s founder, William Santus, said that Uncle Joe’s Mint Balls had helped keep a smile on the face of the nation through two world wars and countless other hard times.

Antony said: “This is a very challenging period for everyone in this country but the bulldog spirit which makes this nation what it is was built around never giving in, and trying to look on the bright side, laughing not crying.”

John added: “There is so much bad news around at the moment, but we want to encourage everyone to try and be positive. Every bag of sweets we make has a smiling face on it, courtesy of our logo, and, now, more than ever, the country needs a reason to smile.”

For more information on Uncle Joe’s Mint Balls’ Make Life Sweeter initiative go to the company’s social media pages on Facebook and Twitter or search for #makelifesweeter and #unclejoes.

“Every bag of sweets we make has a smiling face on it, courtesy of our logo, and, now, more than ever, the country needs a reason to smile.”