The COVID-19 pandemic has changed business and personal practices as restrictions and precautionary actions have been taken to protect supply chains and individuals. Ward Dobbins, president and owner of United Apple Sales, said the company has taken a deep dive into looking for ways to help deal with the virus.

“We are in this fight on many levels – as a grower, packer, and individuals – all who want to keep healthy food moving to our partners and their customers," said Dobbins. "Our team has taken a process improvement approach across the enterprise to find new actions to pack and process our fruit.”

Standard operating procedures in the apple industry create an environment that offers high quality and traceability for all product. The FDA has reiterated that there is no evidence of food or packaging being associated with transmission of the virus that causes COVID-19, but United Apple has implemented improvements in several areas, including touchless processing on bulk/tray and bagged fruit, social distancing and frequency of intervals for wipe down of packing facilities and office work areas.

In addition to operational enhancements, United Apple has donated product to local food banks and shelters.