India-based biscuits maker Parle-G has announced its plans to donate over three crore packs of biscuits in the next three weeks through government agencies.
In a statement issued, Parle G said, “Meeting with the advisories issued by the government on coronavirus, the company is currently working with a 50 percent workforce. It is working to ensure that a sufficient quantity of its products is available in the market.”
Speaking on the development, Mayank Shah, Senior Category Head at Parle Products said, “We have decided to work with the government, donating through government agencies three crore packs of biscuits – one crore each in the next three weeks – especially for people in need… We will be donating one crore pack of Parle G biscuits every week for the next three weeks, effectively about three crore packs of biscuits.”
“We are also looking at ensuring those who need food right now… there will be many people whose livelihood will be hampered, we will work very closely with the government to ensure that they don’t go hungry,” Shah added.
Commenting on the nationwide lockdown, Shah said, “As a result of the lockdown there is a huge amount of panic buying and hoarding is happening. People are going out and buying everything available in terms of food, including biscuits, which is ideal for this kind of situation because they have a longer shelf life and retain freshness for a longer period.”
“We have seen a lot of buying happening in processed food as well, including biscuits, which is the top item to be stocked up during this kind of lockdown. We have ensured that supplies are continuous and are not interrupted,” Shah added.
Further adding to the statement, Mayank Shah said, “As the Centre has exempted biscuit manufacturers from the restrictions of the lockdown, the company is facing issues in some pockets as local authorities have not allowed the transport of raw materials and finished products.”
“As the factories of companies and third-party vendors are working with 50 percent workforce. We are going all out to ensure that we are available in the market in sufficient quantity,” he added.
