December 7, 2020

 

Smithfield Foods offers its ultra-cold freezers to store COVID-19 vaccines

The world's biggest pork processor, United States-based Smithfield Foods, has offered to assist the country's health officials to store COVID-19 vaccines in their ultra-cold freezers, Reuters reported.

 

Keira Lombardo, chief administrative officer of Smithfield Foods, said the company owns multiple ultra-cold freezers and will work with local authorities on how they can be of assistance, should health agencies' storage capacities be constrained.

 

States and hospitals in the US are seeking to purchase freezers that can store Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine, which requires -70°C temperatures that are below vaccine normal standards.

 

The alternative COVID-19 vaccine produced by Moderna only requires -20°C.

 

Chris Hodges, former senior vice president of business development for Smithfield Foods, said the company will able to store Moderna's vaccine in static freezers, used to store meat before it is sold or exported.

 

He said the company owns blast freezers that push cold air onto meat before it is transferred to static freezers. These blast freezers could be cold enough to store Pfizer's vaccine, but it is expensive to operate for a long time period.

 

Lombardo said the company will be able to assist with vaccine distribution to food and agricultural workers badly affected by the pandemic. She said Smithfield also offered to distribute vaccines to essential workers through its healthcare offices at their plants.

 

While workers at meat plants are considered essential in most states in the US, they are not at the top of the vaccine distribution list. Healthcare workers and nursing home residents are the top priority for vaccines.

 

Organisations that represent food and meat firms have urged US President Donald Trump and US President-elect Joe Biden for priority access to vaccines for their workers.

 

Tyson Foods told Reuters that it is monitoring the development of COVID-19 vaccines and will work with healthcare experts for the distribution of the vaccines to workers.

 

Smithfield Foods is owned by China's WH Group.

 

- Reuters