Bonduelle, the home of Ready Pac Foods, began offering on site COVID-19 vaccinations free to its Irwindale employees last week as part of a multi-week clinic. In partnership with Albertsons, the Bonduelle COVID-19 vaccine clinic will provide shots for up to 200 employees per day, with a goal of fully vaccinating a minimum of 1,000 employees by the end of the clinic’s run.
Los Angeles County entered Phase 1B of its vaccine distribution process March 1, offering prioritized access for workers in the food and agriculture sector. As part of this process, Bonduelle acted swiftly to make vaccines available to its employees in a convenient and accessible way. With the support of Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors chair Hilda L. Solis, supervisor to the First District, the vaccines were secured.
Paul Acosta, worker at the Irwindale Bonduelle facility, receives his COVID-19 vaccine. (Jordan Strauss/Ready Pac Foods, Inc., via AP images.)
“As a large employer of frontline workers in Los Angeles County, we keep the health and safety of our diverse workforce as a top priority,” said Mike Gomes, chief manufacturing officer of Bonduelle Fresh Americas, the U.S.-based subsidiary of Bonduelle. “Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, we have taken many proactive, precautionary steps to help protect our associates. The ability to offer free vaccines on site is an integral step in eliminating COVID-19, and we’re proud to work with the County of Los Angeles to make this possible for our frontline heroes.”
“Bonduelle and its employees are part of our community, and their on-site vaccine clinic is imperative to protecting some of our most essential workers who have worked throughout the pandemic,” said Chair Solis. “I am proud to partner with Bonduelle, one of the largest employers in our county, in making the vaccine accessible and easy for its frontline workers, who are so essential to feeding our community and those across the nation.”
With more than 1,800 employees, the Irwindale facility is the company’s largest in the U.S. The vaccine clinic is exclusively for employees of Bonduelle, and all employees who live near or work in the facility are eligible as recognized food and agriculture sector workers. The vaccine is optional for employees and free of charge.
Chair Hilda L. Solis speaks to Irwindale workers at the vaccination site. (Jordan Strauss/Ready Pac Foods, Inc., via AP images.)
“The Bonduelle on-site vaccine clinic is an example I hope we can continue to replicate in Irwindale and the larger Los Angeles community as we look to defeat COVID-19,” said Irwindale Mayor H. Manuel Ortiz. “I’m heartened by the fact that these frontline heroes will have convenient access to the vaccine.”
Because each state has instituted a phased approach to vaccine distribution, the company is taking additional efforts to support Bonduelle employees in getting the vaccine across the country.
For more information:
www.bonduelle.com