JSE-listed Tiger Brands has confirmed that some of its employees at the Durban Bakery have tested positive for Covid-19, and the operation has since been temporarily closed.
It, however, assures consumers that the employees did not work on the production line and that there is, therefore, minimal risk to consumers.
The Durban Bakery produces Albany-brand bread, in KwaZulu-Natal.
The company says an employee who reported for duty was advised to seek medical attention after reporting feeling ill with flu-like symptoms.
A Covid-19 test was conducted and the results were received on April 9. Tiger Brands immediately contacted the employees who had come into close contract with the affected individual and sent them for precautionary testing and self-isolation.
The testing was subsequently extended to all staff in the administration building where the first patient worked, following which 12 employees tested positive for Covid-19.
In accordance with World Health Organisation guidelines, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases and the European Food Safety Authority, Tiger Brands says there is no evidence that food is a likely source or route of transmission of the coronavirus, but, nonetheless, food safety behaviour should be taken seriously.
The Durban Bakery’s bread manufacturing process is highly automated, from mixing, baking, slicing, sealing to crating, and therefore the company developed protocols to guard against any surface contamination. This includes isolation and sanitising of the packaged product, all surfaces in the factory and all delivery trucks.
As a result of the bakery’s closure, some production had not been dispatched to the market.