New Federal Requirements Related to COVID-19 Vaccinations

Dear Dairy Community,

 The President and the White House issued new requirements from the federal government related to COVID-19 vaccinations. Through a series of executive actions and forthcoming administrative actions brought by federal agencies, the President is making full COVID-19 vaccination mandatory for 99% of the federal workforce and military, all federal contractors, and—by rules to be issued by the Department of Labor—to all individuals working for companies that employ 100 or more workers.

We know that many IDFA members do business with the federal government, and many more fall into the category of having 100 or more employees, making it that much more important that all members understand these new requirements. While the federal government will have more information to share in the coming days, here is what we know today:

80 million Americans remain unvaccinated: Based on estimates by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, some 80 million Americans remain unvaccinated. Although nearly three quarters of eligible Americans have gotten at least one shot, one quarter remain completely unvaccinated.

Illnesses, deaths remain elevated: Since the summer, public health experts and leaders from the local to national level have pointed to rising COVID-19 infections and deaths due to the more virulent Delta variant and other factors. Illness rates now match those in the late winter. While most places of employment, schools, conference centers, and social and cultural centers had begun to fully reopen, some have begun limiting or curtailing access and/or services. Some states and localities are following suit. Many employers in the food and beverage space still limit travel and large gatherings.

The food and beverage industry is stepping up to protect our workforce: The dairy foods industry and other food and beverage companies in the United States have been working with the federal government as well as local public health officials and local communities for months to make it easy for workers to get vaccinated. IDFA applauds our members who are providing information and education to workers on-site, providing paid time off or bonuses and incentives to those who get vaccinated, and to companies bringing vaccinations directly to their workforce.

The President’s comments yesterday outlined four important steps by the federal government that affect nearly all IDFA member companies:

1. The Department of Labor is developing an emergency rule to require all employers with 100 or more employees to demonstrate that all workers are fully vaccinated or for unvaccinated workers to show a negative COVID-19 test at least once a week.
2. The Department of Labor will require employers with 100 or more workers to give those workers paid time off to get vaccinated.
3. The President signed an executive order that will now require all executive branch federal employees to be vaccinated (about 98.6% of all federal employees are part of the executive branch).
4. The President signed another executive order that will require federal contractors to be vaccinated. We expect further guidance from contracting agencies, such as USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service, in the near term.

Employers, especially in the food and beverage sector, have been leaders on protecting our workforce, sharing trusted information, and making vaccines accessible. IDFA encourages our members to remain vigilant and to keep health and safety as our top priority as we continue to keep the dairy supply chain intact through this ongoing disruption.

IDFA will continue to follow the Administration’s actions and the Department of Labor rulemaking process. We will provide updates as necessary and we encourage you to visit IDFA’s Safety Is Essential page to keep up to date on the latest guidance from the federal government and non-profit public health institutions.

Thank you,

Michael Dykes, D.V.M.

President & CEO

International Dairy Foods Association