Real time stats from WHO
Update 29th April 2019
We are staying up to date with the Australian Governments advice in regards to COVID-19.
Specifically:
We use alcohol-based hand sanitisers while delivering all boxes (An alcohol-based hand sanitiser with at least 60% ethanol or 70% isopropanol as the active ingredient)
We wear rubber gloves while handling all food
We increase the amount of fresh air available by opening windows or adjusting air conditioning during packing
We wear gloves while delivering and/or sanitise between each stop.
We also ask that all boxes are placed outside at least 24 hours prior to your next delivery. This is to ensure that any possible COVID-19 germs are gone and they are safe for everybody to handle.
Further details can be found in the post below.
Update 1st April 2019
Handling of boxes
We have decided to update our box handling procedures for everyones safety.
Although there have been no changes to the Australian governments position on cardboard handling, we have decided to be cautious. Better to be safe than sorry!
We now ask you to put your return box outside your front door at least 24 hours in advance of your delivery day.
If you forget to place your box outside please understand we will not be able to take it the same day.
Also, we cannot pass the box to you and you cannot pass your empty box to us.
We do this for all of our safety. We all need to act as if we all have COVID-19 and act accordingly.
Please don’t be offended if we do not take a box you have handed us or notice we sanitise our hands after every stop. We only want to keep ourselves and our community as safe as can be. The lovely Parkigrocer people delivering your boxes have been give these same instructions, so please be kind.
Stay safe.
Dave, Holli and the Parkigorcer family.
These are some very challenging times for our whole community and it's never been more important to band together and help one another.
It is becoming increasingly difficult to get hold of a whole range of household items that a lot of us take for granted.
We are going to continue to provide the best local produce we possibly can, but it has meant we are now facing a number of obstacles and challenges we never anticipated.
With this in mind, we wanted to let you know exactly what is happening and the changes we are needing to make:
There is a lot of panic buying occurring at the moment. This includes fruit, vegetables, coffee, eggs, Bonsoy - everything we provide in your box. The farmers we regularly deal with are inundated with orders from customers that have doubled and tripled overnight. They are finding it very hard to meet demand and the major supermarkets are forcing growers to provide produce earlier than they would like. This means that, finally, supermarkets are accepting fruit and vegetables that are not perfect - but - this will have a knock-on effect of meaning that it will be harder to provide food for winter.
As a result of unprecedented demand, there are shortages on a lot of produce. We will continue to work our best to provide your dietary requirements but can no longer guarantee we will always be able to meet them. We ask that if we do need to put something into your box that you don't love to please give it another go, maybe try a different recipe or provide it to your neighbour who is probably struggling to find fresh fruit and vegetables.
Although we love having conversations with you when we deliver your box, at the moment we are using a 'drop and go' policy. We will leave your box at your front door (or at the place you have specified), ring your doorbell and leave. We have all of our best interests at heart when we do this.
Deliveries will now run later than usual. We have a number of steps we need to work through on farm runs like extra sanitisation, extra packing, wait times and an extra level of uncertainty while also dealing with similar issues during packing. This is a good time if you own an anti-bacteria or rubber glove company for sure.
Prices of everything are continuing to rise. Demand is outstripping supply and as a result, everything we provide in your box is increasing also. We work our best to make our box the best value it can be for the quality we provide and will continue to do so. There may be a time when the contents of the box change without notice or there are slight changes in the number of particular items.
There has never been a more important time for social media to play a role in society. We have a very supportive Parkigrocer member group. Please continue to help each other by providing recipes, advice or even a simple chat on our Facebook members page so none of us feels isolated.
This period of time is challenging for us all and we ask for your patience and understanding as we work our best to get you your boxes.
Please stay safe and continue looking out for each other.
All the best.
Dave, Holli and the Parkigrocer family.