Ralphs and Food 4 Less to Provide Free COVID-19 Testing for Frontline Associates

LOS ANGELES, May 4, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Ralphs and Food 4 Less today announced the continued protection of frontline associates by making free COVID-19 testing available, based on symptoms and medical need. Paired with additional safety measures, Ralphs and Food 4 Less remain committed to protecting the health and well-being of its associates.

The safety and health of Ralphs and Food 4 Less associates and customers remains the top priority during this unprecedented time. The company is dedicated to providing support and gratitude to its associates throughout Southern California.

Ralphs and Food 4 Less Provide Free COVID-19 Testing to Associates
This month, Ralphs and Food 4 Less will begin offering COVID-19 testing to associates, based on symptoms and medical need.

The availability of diagnostic testing will now allow Ralphs and Food 4 Less associates to feel more empowered and knowledgeable about their health, creating safer stores and facilities.

Ralphs and Food 4 Less Continues Investment in Associates
In addition to testing for frontline associates, the following procedures and programs reflect the grocers' commitment to protecting the safety and well-being of its teams.

• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) – Ralphs and Food 4 Less increased its investment in PPE to encourage a safer working environment. The company has supplied protective masks to all associates, enhanced daily sanitation practices, installed floor decals and plexiglass partitions at check lanes to promote physical distancing, reduced customer capacity limits, and taken several other steps.
• Competitive Total Rewards Packages - To support the mental and physical health of its associates, the company continues to invest in benefits packages, which includes healthcare coverage and retirement benefits.
• Helping Hands Fund and Emergency Leave - The $5 million Helping Hands fund continues to provide financial assistance to associates who are facing personal hardship due to COVID-19, including lack of access to childcare. And through the company's Emergency Leave Guidelines, associates most directly affected by the virus or experiencing related symptoms are provided paid time off.

Sharing What We've Learned: A Blueprint for Businesses
As businesses across America begin to reopen, Ralphs and Food 4 Less have created a resource guide, that includes actionable recommendations and learnings the company has applied in the last eight weeks to safeguard its associates, customers, and communities, as well as what it has learned through regular interaction with business leaders in other countries that are ahead of the U.S. in terms of the pandemic cycling through their countries. Today, the company is releasing its third installment of Sharing What We've Learned: A Blueprint for Businesses, focusing on the needs, well-being and health of employees in various workplace settings. The resource is available to download at KrogerBlueprint.com.

About Ralphs
At Ralphs, we are Fresh for Everyone™ and dedicated to our Purpose: To Feed the Human Spirit®. We are 20,000 associates in 188 stores who serve customers daily through a seamless shopping experience throughout Southern California and the Central Coast. We are committed to creating #ZeroHungerZeroWaste communities by 2025. To learn more about us, visit our newsroom and investor relations site.

About Food 4 Less/Foods Co
Food 4 Less is dedicated to our purpose: to Feed the Human Spirit ™. Food 4 Less/Foods Co is more than 12,000 associates serving customers in 129 price-impact, warehouse-format supermarkets under the banners Food 4 Less in Southern California, Illinois and Indiana, and Foods Co in Central and Northern California. We are committed to creating #ZeroHungerZeroWaste communities by 2025. To learn more about us, visit our newsroom and investor relations site.

SOURCE Ralphs and Food 4 Less

Related Links

https://www.ralphs.com