The global community is currently going through an incredible challenge.  We at Mary Macleod’s Shortbread have always taken food, staff and customer safety very seriously.  Long ago, we made the decision to become a BRC certified facility.  BRC is the Global Standard for Food Safety.  We have an AA rating and are audited by a third party on an annual basis.  Our most recent audit took place in January. 

With COVID-19, we understand there is a lot of apprehension, fear and uncertainty getting infected.  Our strong food safety culture combined with our compliance with current medical and scientific recommendations means our product and packaging is safe. 

Current science tells us that the virus is spread person-to-person through respiratory droplets, but there is no evidence to show transmission through food.  It may be possible to contract the virus by touching a surface that has virus on it and then touching one’s mouth or eyes.  But, due to the poor survivability of the virus, there is low risk of spread from food or packaging that has been shipped over a period of days.  In addition, our product is shipped with couriers and shippers that have passed our supplier approval process and are confirmed to be following COVID-19 recommendations/protocols.

As such, we are confident that our product does not pose a COVID-19 risk to you.   Below is related information from the BRC, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Government of Canada.

Resources:

BRC: The Food Safety Standard is the most recognized, well established, and respected standard in the world.  Developed by food industry experts from retailers, manufacturers and food service organizations, it is rigorous and detailed.  It provides a framework to manage product safety, integrity, legality and quality, and the operational controls for these criteria in the food manufacturing industry.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:  In general, because of poor survivability of these coronaviruses on surfaces, there is likely very low risk of spread from products or packaging that are shipped over a period of days or weeks at ambient temperatures. Coronaviruses are generally thought to be spread most often by respiratory droplets. Currently there is no evidence to support transmission of COVID-19 associated with imported goods and there have not been any cases of COVID-19 in the United States associated with imported goods.

Government of Canada:  Products shipped within or from outside of Canada could also be contaminated. However, because parcels generally take days or weeks to be delivered, and are shipped at room temperature, the risk of spread is low. There is no known risk of coronaviruses entering Canada on parcels or packages