Maple Lodge Farms confirms 25 COVID-19 cases, 1 death

Canadian poultry producer Maple Lodge Farms confirmed that 25 employees have tested positive for COVID-19, including one worker who died.

Roy Graber Headshot
(Canadian Food Inspection Agency)
(Canadian Food Inspection Agency)

Canadian poultry producer Maple Lodge Farms confirmed that 25 employees have tested positive for COVID-19, including one worker who died.

“It is with deep sadness that we report the devastating news that one of our employees who tested positive for COVID-19 last month has passed away,” an announcement on the Maple Lodge Farms website said. “We have been in touch with (the) family to offer our deepest condolences. We are also dedicated to providing the support and reassurance to help our employees through this incredibly difficult time.”

The company, headquartered in Brampton, Ontario, said it has also checked in with the other employees who tested positive on a frequent basis to learn how they are doing and to offer support.

Public health agencies were contacted each time a COVID-19 case was identified, the company’s statement said. In each case, an in-depth investigation and risk assessment took place in cooperation with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA). Maple Lodge Farms employees are also notified by the company every time a COVID-19 case is confirmed.

Maple Lodge Farms continues to operate its facility in Brampton, where the cases were confirmed, but the company has temporarily and voluntarily suspended a third of its operations in order to conduct a thorough risk assessment and deep cleaning, and to increase social distancing among workers. The company also has other measures in place to protect the workforce. Those measures include:

  • Barring all visitors from the facility, with the exception of those deemed essential to the operation of the business, such as contractors and delivery drivers
  • The implementation of a strict screening policy, ensuring only healthy people enter the workplace
  • Requring all employees and essential visitors to wear masks at all times in all areas of Maple Lodge Farms facilities
  • Imposing physical distancing measures in common spaces including the installation of Plexiglas shields between adjacent seating areas in the cafeteria
  • Providing all production employees with personal protective equipment over and above that which may be required in the course of their usual duties, including masks, face shields, aprons, and gloves
  • Staggered production shifts for better physical distancing
  • Implementation of precautionary and frequent deep cleaning initiatives and added ongoing cleaning rotations for frequently used areas/surfaces to the company’s existing sanitation procedures
  • Open and frequent communication with employees through bulletins, letters and television monitors in common spaces to keep workers informed and provide them information on hand washing and other hygiene measures, as well as tips on how to stay safe outside of the workplace
  • Weekly meetings with the company’s onsite CFIA management team to share information and establish collaborative efforts to keep all employees safe

Maple Lodge Farms, according to the WATTAgNet Top Poultry Companies Database, is the largest independent, family-owned poultry processor in Canada. It exports products to more than 30 countries.

View our continuing coverage of the coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic.

 

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