23 Mar We’d like to go the social distance with you: FTN COVID-19 COMPANY UPDATE

– – – – – UPDATE 24 MARCH 2020 – – – – –

In light of the speech given by Cyril Ramaphosa last night we want you to know the following about the running of Faithful to Nature:

1. We’re staying open to deliver all your food, supplement and household essentials, until further notice.

2. At this point, we are still meeting our delivery time obligations but due to increased demand, there could be a delay in fulfillment times – please accept our apologies in advance as we scale up.

3. We may limit the quantity of individual products that customers can buy as long as we see it necessary, in order to make sure that we can fairly distribute stock as it arrives. We will also have more than usual out of stocks, as we work to understand which suppliers will remain open, and try to find alternative suppliers.

– – – – – – – – – –

In line with action from the government, businesses and other organisations around the country Faithful to Nature is going to be taking the next steps to ensure all-round staff and customer safety. As well as take the necessary measuring to keep our warehouse open and all your orders delivered to your door. 

Below are the preventative measures we are implementing, and will continue to implement, for the unforeseeable future:

HEALTH & SAFETY THROUGHOUT THE COMPANY 

YOUR SAFETY:

Faithful to Nature is taking multiple steps to ensure all-round staff and customer safety, and keep our warehouse open and all your orders delivered to your door.

• Rigorous efforts to ensure our warehouse remains virus-free, including temperature scanning of EVERYONE entering our warehouse, frequent and thorough cleaning, protective clothing, continuous hand sanitation and hand-washing, and zero-tolerance on attendance from anyone with symptoms or contact with infected people.
• Work-from-home policies for all staff that are able to do so, and in particular staff (and staff family members) who are at high risk due to pre-existing health conditions.
• Working with suppliers to ensure they follow similar processes, and that they don’t increase prices on high-demand products.
• Working with our delivery providers to ensure they have active sanitation processes and do low-contact deliveries, as well as contingency planning should we experience any disruptions.

OUR WAREHOUSE: 

• Anyone who enters the warehouse will be subject to temperature checks. If an individual shows signs of a fever or a raised temperature they will be sent home and asked to follow the correct health procedures as prescribed by the South African government.
• We will be implementing shift work where teams will be split into two and rotate shifts with a thorough cleaning before each shift. 
• Increasing routine sanitation and hand-washing practices, as well as before and after every operational process.
• Staff will be given the necessary protective gear to wear in order to mitigate the spreading of saliva.
• Routine sanitation and cleaning of all surfaces throughout the packing of orders.
• Employees are instructed to stay home from work if they even suspect any form of sickness, and are encouraged to get tested for COVID-19.
• Any staff member who is in a high-risk immunity category will be working from home, effective immediately. 

OUT-OF-OFFICE:

• As an attempt the flatten the curve*, any staff that is able to productively work from home will do so, with systems in place to optimise successful off-site collaboration.

OUR SUPPLIERS:

• We are working with suppliers to ensure that their prices remain the same for those products that are in high demand. 
• Encouraging them to employ similar health and safety measures to our own. 
• Working to ensure that stock levels are maintained in as much as possible. Due to the surge in demand for products around the country there is no guarantee that will always be stock available.

WE NEED YOUR HELP IN HELPING COMPANIES SUFFERING DUE TO THE SHUTDOWN

• As an online business, we are lucky to be able to keep operating despite restrictions on person-to-person contact. Given this, we are trying to help offline businesses reach customers, and so reduce the economic damage that the current crisis is causing.
• Therefore, we have put in place an urgent listing process, to rapidly start selling natural products that we feel need to be accessible, on a temporary basis. For example, we are currently reaching out to farmers’ markets that have had to close. But, we need your help! Please let us know by email to [email protected] if you have:
• Any products that you normally buy, that are no longer accessible due to closures; and
• Any companies that are struggling to reach customers due to closures and that would benefit from quick listing on Faithful to Nature (please note that we do not have the cold-chain facilities to accommodate fresh produce onboarding or delivery.)

• Obviously we will do our best within our capacity, but we cannot guarantee that we will be able to list your favourite product. Furthermore, any listings are still subject to our ingredient policy.

DELIVERIES:

• The installation of hand sanitiser stations in all key entry and exit points at delivery hubs, depots and reception areas. 
• Scanning all pickup couriers for high temperatures upon entry into our warehouse. 
• Providing drivers and van assistants with hand sanitiser, which they are instructed to use before and after every delivery. 
• Actively working on contingency plans to reroute parcels in the event that certain hub operations are affected due to high levels of staff absenteeism or infection. 
• Implementing contactless delivery procedures.
• If you are going to be working from home, remember to change your delivery address at the second step of the checkout process on the website.

HELP US TO HELP YOU

As an online business, we are lucky to be able to keep operating despite restrictions on person-to-person contact. Given this, we are trying to help offline businesses reach customers, and so reduce the economic damage that the current crisis is causing. Therefore, we have put in place an urgent listing process, to rapidly start selling natural products that we feel need to be accessible, on a temporary basis. But, we need your help!

Please let us know by email to [email protected] if you have:

• Any products that you normally buy, that are no longer accessible due to closures; and
• Any companies that are struggling to reach customers due to closures and that would benefit from quick listing on Faithful to Nature.
• Please note that we do not have the cold-chain facilities to accommodate fresh produce onboarding or delivery.

So far, despite very high order volumes, our warehouse is still managing to dispatch most orders on time. We’ll do our best to keep to this, but please bear with us if we have delays due to stock shortages or disruptions in our warehouse as we introduce extra safety measures. If you have any questions contact our Customer Care Team on 021 785 3268, 08.00 – 16.30, Monday to Friday, or through [email protected], or via the FTN website. 

Yours faithfully, 
The Faithful to Nature team

*Flattening the curve defined: this is the action taken to lower the strike rate of the Coronavirus, therefore pushing out the surge of those who are infected, and ensuring that health care institutions aren’t overburdened all at once. 

SOME ADDITIONAL PRECAUTIONS FOR YOU TO TAKE AS AN INDIVIDUAL: 

• Disinfect your cell phone.
• Towel dry your hands after washing them.
• Make use of the incredible South African Whatsapp hotline for any questions you may need answered: 0600 123 456.
• Do not hoard. Do not bombard medical supplies and suppliers.
• Get in contact with any elderly neighbours or friends who might not be able to shop for themselves at this time. 
• Continue to follow our Coronavirus Immunity page, which we will be updating daily with whatever products are freshly stocked or bought onto the site. 
• Along with supplementing your lifestyle with vitamins and minerals, maintain healthy eating habits and strong mental practices to support your immune system.