USDA Announces Additional Aid to Ag Producers and Businesses in Pandemic Assistance for Producers Initiative

Earlier this year, USDA announced potential funding for the reimbursement for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for food and farm workers and specialty crop and seafood producers, processors and distributors. We are pleased to announce that following meetings and comments submitted by GCCA, USDA has indicated that it will allocate $700 million in grants for PPE reimbursement to assist the food and agriculture industry. The programming for these grants is planned for implementation within 60 days from June 15, 2021. GCCA will continue to keep you updated as more information becomes available on this grant program.

Read the full announcement HERE.

GCCA Joins Coalition Letter Calling on Congressional Leadership to Craft a Bipartisan Infrastructure Package

On Thursday, June 10, GCCA joined 31 other food and agriculture associations calling on congressional leadership to craft a bipartisan infrastructure package that will support American jobs and strengthen our economy. Specifically, this package needs to focus on the critical importance of infrastructure to U.S. agriculture and our ability to deliver products to market. It is essential that infrastructure legislation include much-needed investments in our dams, locks, inland waterways and ports as well as rural highways and roads, bridges, rail, and broadband infrastructure.

Read the full letter HERE.

SBA and Public Private Strategies Offering Education Webinar Series

The Small Business Administration (SBA) & Public Private Strategies Institute (PPSI) are providing several educational opportunities to learn more about programs that will help your business get back on track following the pandemic.  This is part of an effort to ensure that American small businesses know about the many resources to help their business grow and thrive. Participants will be able to hear about what steps you can take now to learn and take advantage of new and existing programs that are available at the SBA and receive an update regarding programs and recent policy announcements made by the Biden Administration.

To register, click HERE.

GCCA Launches First State and Local Grassroots Campaign for California Members

On Friday, June 11, GCCA launched a grassroots campaign to combat a harmful piece of legislation that was recently passed by the California Assembly. AB 701 (Gonzalez) will harm warehouse employers across California without providing real benefits to safety for employees. The bill will lead to litigation based on vague standards, creates a never-ending presumption of retaliation, and creates a duplicative regulation on an area Cal/OSHA has already covered. As we start to emerge from the uncertainty of the pandemic, we are concerned that this legislation would create new ambiguities and unnecessary challenges for you all to navigate. We believe that the state already has the enforcement tools and guidance available to protect worker safety without imposing additional burdens on employers. As this bill moves to the California State Senate, GCCA encourages California members to take action and make sure your State Senator knows YOU oppose this legislation.

To take action, click HERE.

GCCA Joins Coalition Letter Urging Senators to Vote NO on the U.S Innovation and Competition Act

On Tuesday, June 8, 2021, GCCA joined 14 other food and agriculture industry associations in sending a letter to all Senators urging them to vote “no” on S. 1260, the U.S Innovation and Competition Act, until the duplicative and burdensome Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) Online Act amendment requirements are removed. The Country of Origin Labeling Online Act would require online sellers to include country of origin information in product descriptions on their websites and online advertisements, reflecting the origin of the exact product the customer will receive (i.e., the exact carton of blueberries). As written, the COOL Online Act would be inconsistent with USDA’s existing COOL program and unworkable for agricultural producers, food manufacturers and grocery retailers. It would also likely trigger retaliatory tariffs on an array of products.  Unfortunately, the Senate has since passed S. 1260 by a vote of 68-32.  The bill now moves to the House of Representatives for consideration.

Read the full letter HERE.

Read the full bill HERE.

GCCA Hosts FINAL Monthly COVID-19 Webinar Series

On Thursday, June 17, 2021, GCCA hosted our final monthly COVID-19 Webinar Series. Since the start of the pandemic the GCCA staff has conducted 25 COVID specific webinars for membership, ensuring you received the most up to date information on the pandemic. Interest in these webinars was overwhelming with over 1,800 registrants during this time period. Moving forward, COVID-19 updates will be covered in the monthly GCCA Advocacy Webinar. In addition, the COVID-19 Resource Portal will remain active and GCCA will also continue to provide relevant COVID-19 information via Cold Connection, the Washington Weekly, and social media. 

If you missed the final COVID-19 webinar, we covered a variety of issues including the OSHA healthcare ETS, new OSHA workplace guidance for non-healthcare industries, and USDA supply chain assistance, watch the recap HERE.

Call to Action: Nominate a Cold Chain Champion

Do you have a colleague who you believe performs exceptional work and deserves special recognition? We are highlighting our members and their achievements on social media. Nominate yourself, your company, or your colleague for a chance to be spotlighted as a #ColdChainChampion!

Submit nominations, a short explanation, and a photo to Rachael Oury at roury@gcca.org.