Partnership Feeds Hope, Taking Care of Those on the Frontlines of COVID-19

While those on the frontlines of COVID-19 are tasked with taking care of the sick, USSEC joins forces with USA Poultry & Egg Export Council to take care of them.

Just as Mexico was spiking with 6,000 to 9,000 new COVID-19 cases reported daily, the U.S. Soybean Export Council partnered with the USA Poultry and Egg Export Council to help take care of those on the frontlines. An army of helping hands delivered meals to seven different hospitals in Mexico City, beginning July 23.

“We wanted to help and show our gratitude to those heroes who are out there and who allow us to be healthy,” said Alma Lilia de León, director of the U.S. Poultry and Egg Export Council’s office in Mexico. “This is a token of gratitude … very small, but very significant.”

In the first phase, these helping hands provided 5,000 chicken leg quarters for medical staff in two hospitals. That was soon followed up by the delivery of 4,500 boxed lunches to seven COVID-19 hospitals in just a matter of weeks.

The boxed lunches included a chicken or turkey sandwich, a pear, peanuts, one antibacterial gel and a cookie made with dried eggs. The chicken was fried in high-oleic soybean oil donated by USSEC.

Will McNair, USSEC director of oil and soyfood programs, said this was a great opportunity to give high-oleic soybean oil real-world exposure in one of the top markets for U.S. Soy. 

“We saw this as a great opportunity to not only give back during a time of need, but it also offered the chance for buyers, processors and cooks to experiment with the product and begin to think about how it can be integrated into their portfolio,” McNair said. 

This was a partnership of U.S. Soy, USA Poultry and Egg Export Council with support from USDA, California Milk, Peras USA, Potatoes USA, the American Peanut Council, Alco, Dos Familias and L’autrichienne.

“We wanted to return a little bit of what we have received, especially at this time, and we did it thanks to two processors, Alco and Dos Familias,” Lilia de León said.