COVID-19: Status and Support Resources in France

Bakery companies make important efforts to ensure the production and distribution of goods, to improve their hygiene protocols and to protect their employees and customers. 

By Catalina Mihu, Ioana Oancea

To learn what actions the industry is taking to maintain workflow, but also to keep their workers and customers healthy, we are speaking with companies and organizations throughout the supply chain. In this article, we are analyzing the state of the industry in France. 

The French bakers organization, Fédération des Entreprises de Boulangerie (FEB), highlighted for WorldBakers that the French Government has included food activities on the list of priority industries. As such, the entire food chain is included in the broadest sense, in particular transport activities and all other activities from upstream agriculture to the consumer. All businesses are mobilized to ensure the production continues uninterrupted, to provide all citizens with essential cereal-based food.

“Together, we are answering the challenges imposed by this pandemic. Moreover, we have obtained an exemption allowing us to open bakeries seven days a week, so that bread can be sold throughout the week to meet the large demand. Until now, a law, which is almost 100 years old, had required bakeries to close at least one day per week in France. The derogation will now allow French people to be able to buy bread without stress every day. In any case, we have a large supply of flour, yeast and salt, so there is no problem with bread production,“ the organization tells us. 

The FEB underlines that it adheres to the measures recommended by the health authorities and encourages its members to do everything possible to guarantee the safety of their employees. Measures taken include: concrete social distancing, wearing gloves, masks, freezing products where possible, teleworking, etc. The association reveals that this crisis has impacted the businesses in different ways: they have seen order drops causing a drop of activity, which forces some bakeries to apply for partial activity. On the other hand, other companies are facing a shortage of labor in the face of demand growth that is two or three times higher than usual.  

The Demand for Packaged Bread 

Today, there are difficulties in supplying supermarkets with packaged bread and fresh bread, the representatives of FEB tell us. “While the demand is two or three times higher than usual, our companies are confronted with a high rate of absenteeism (children, illness, etc.). Unfortunately, times are more difficult for pastry companies that are experiencing a drop in consumption and also for shops with a large snacking offer,” the Federation stressed. Consumption for pastries is falling, as nowadays French are looking for basic foods like bread. 

Should Companies Make Stocks? 

There is no single answer to this question, the FEB details, as not all the companies face the same problem, depending on their size, their means of production, the products, etc. “We must take into account each problem and support them as best as we can in this health crisis,” they emphasize. 

The FEB represents companies in their dealings with public authorities. In this crisis, the association is a major actor in the communication with the Minister for Agriculture and Food (Didier Guillaume), for the Minister of Work (Muriel Pénicaud), and for the Minister of Economics and Finance (Bruno Le Maire). The FEB ensures that companies are represented and raises problems faced by our coworkers on a daily basis in the face of the crisis. 

TheFEB is currently publishing on its networks a campaign to support, accompany and thank the workers. For this, they use the hashtag #NourrirLaFrance (FeedingFrance). “Today, the message is twofold: thank our coworkers for the work they do in this particularly difficult period. But also, we want to support them in all their questions concerning the health rules to be respected, holidays, partial activity, and anything related to the whole process of change that accompanies us at the moment,” FEB underlined. 

Rising Yeast Demands Are Met

At Lesaffre, the priority is to ensure that its plants throughout the world continue to produce yeast and baking ingredients, as they observe an increase in the demand mainly in household yeast. “We do all our best to supply all our customers,” Antoine Baule, CEO, Lesaffre, said. They note some challenges, such as the supply of some raw materials, in product transportation to clients and with changes in demand. With varying governmental decisions from one country to another, even in Europe, Lesaffre is taking into account further potential impact. “That’s why, to maintain the continuity of our deliveries, we need to work in relation to concerned authorities in each country. Despite those challenges, we guarantee as usual our highest quality standards,” they promise. Lesaffre has set up a global organization to solve problems as they arise: a group crisis unit, units in each region or country, units in the functions (production, HR, supply chain, logistics, purchasing, etc). 

“In many countries, we are observing an increase in yeast consumption, especially for home baking. The demand for the product has risen sharply because consumers have been stockpiling. The increase is comparable to the volumes sold at Easter and Christmas time, combined. This peak should be followed by a return to normal demand, to be confirmed in the coming weeks,” Lesaffre anticipates. 

On the other hand, they also are observing that the demand for baking ingredients is starting to decrease. We assume that people will consume slightly higher amounts of bread and baked goods, more from grocery stores and home baking and less from restaurants and foodservice outlets. 

“What we are facing today shows how important the baking industry is for our citizens.  At Lesaffre, the commitment of the teams, their passion for the job and their determination to continue to produce yeast and baking ingredients are noticeable. Our mission – Working together to nourish and protect the planet – takes on its full dimension in these troubled times,”Antoine Baule, CEO, Lesaffre, tells us.

Safety Measures

As soon as the virus appeared in China, Lesaffre implemented a set of appropriate measures that were gradually deployed throughout the world, following the devices of the WHO :

– A business continuity plan for the safety of people; 

– A regular reminder of the sanitary instructions to be followed;

– Intensified cleaning;

– Health checks at the entrance of the sites;

– Deployment of home-working when it was possible;

– Canceled events.

With hubs in more than 50 countries, Lesaffre’s global presence allows them to be as close as possible to the evolution of the situation and to take the most locally adapted measures to protect our employees. “Our supply chain department is working very hard to deliver our customers in order to maintain continuity in their production. It organizes regular meetings with all the plants over the world in order to optimize the logistics and the supply,” Baule added. 

Lesaffre ensures that all their industrial sites around the world are operational and supply their craft and industrial bakery customers. If they are not missing raw materials and transports are effective in the weeks to come, there should be no shortage of yeast, the CEO underlined. 

Roquette Adapts Production to the Crisis

At a time when the shortage of hydro-alcoholic disinfectant gel is hitting many countries around the world, Roquette, a global leader in plant-based ingredients and a pioneer of plant proteins, has adapted one of its pilot lines at its site in Lestrem, France, to manufacture a hydro-alcoholic disinfectant solution. While this type of solution is not usually produced by Roquette, the company adjusted one of its R&D pilot units in Lestrem and obtained the required regulatory approvals to produce the hydro-alcoholic solution.

This engagement will be maintained for as long as necessary in alignment with the instructions of health authorities. “At Roquette we think that, more than ever, we all have to join forces and help each other to address this global crisis. With this initiative, we wish to take part in the collective effort to support those who are fighting the COVID-19 pandemic every day” says Jean-Marc Gilson, CEO of Roquette.

“We are proud and pleased to contribute, at our scale, to the support of healthcare workers. All our employees are committed to this mission and thanks to their efforts we have been able to launch this initiative and are already thinking about the possibility of increasing the production”, adds Jean-Marc Corpart, the Head of this project from the Roquette R&D team.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has generated a massive demand in hydroalcoholic solution. Since the beginning of the crisis, and thanks to the commitment of the health professionals and to the mobilization of the students in Pharmacy, the Lille University Hospital Center has been engaged in the preparation and the packing of around 2,000 liters of hydroalcoholic solution per day. It helps address the needs of the health providers and of all professionals implied in our hospital, as well as around 20 healthcare centers in the North of France. The Lille University Hospital Center is really pleased to rely on the support of Roquette which contributes to answering those significant needs”, explains professor Pascal Odou, Chief of the Lille University Hospital Pharmacy. 

Our surveys looking into key takeaways from industry measures will cover other regions of the world in the next days and weeks.