Campbell Soup Co. is the latest company to reward employees with higher wages or bonuses during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Approximately 11,000 hourly production and distribution employees will receive a $2 per hour premium “as they work to ensure neighbors have food during this critical time,” according to filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Front-line supervisors, certain site staff and depot managers who are reporting to work as essential infrastructure workers will receive a $100 per week premium. Employees who oversee Campbell’s sales execution teams in stores and working with customers and independent distributors to ensure that store shelves are stocked will also receive the incentive.
– CAMPBELL SOUP COMPANY
The premiums will be in place for at least five weeks, starting March 29.
Demand for shelf-stable products such as Campbell soups has recently increased due to widespread COVID-19 concerns.
In the company’s Meals & Beverages segment, more cases of food were ordered during the week of March 15 to March 21 than the entire month of March 2019. Weekly case order was up 366 percent compared to a year ago, according to filings.
And in its Snacks segment, Campbell’s Richmond, Utah plant produced more than 2 million pounds of Pepperidge Farm Goldfish and cookies for the week of March 15 to March 21.
