Is It Safe to Eat from the Fresh Fruit Basket at Work?

As people return to the office, the health and safety of employees and visitors tops the list of concerns. Prior to the pandemic, colleagues gathered around the basket of fruit and thought nothing of it. Now, people are asking, “Is it safe to eat fresh fruit from the basket in the break room?”

The answer from the CDC is clear:  According to the CDC, “There is currently no evidence to support transmission of COVID-19 associated with food.” The CDC offers these guidelines to protect yourself from foodborne illness.

  • Wash your hands, kitchen utensils, and food preparation surfaces, including chopping boards and countertops, before and after preparing fruits and vegetables.
  • Clean fruits and vegetables before eating, cutting, or cooking, unless the package says the contents have been washed.
    • Wash or scrub fruits and vegetables under running water—even if you do not plan to eat the peel. Germs on the peel or skin can get inside fruits and vegetables when you cut them.

      Rinse fruit under running water
    • Washing fruits and vegetables with soap, detergent, or commercial produce wash is not recommended. Do not use bleach solutions or other disinfecting products on food.
    • Cut away any damaged or bruised areas before preparing or eating.
    • Dry fruit or vegetables with a clean paper towel.
    • You can read more here: CDC Fruit and Vegetable Safety
happier healthier office
Sharing a healthy snack at work

The CDC also notes that eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables can help reduce the risk of many leading causes of illness and death, such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, some cancers, and obesity. Despite these positive health benefits, few adults meet the recommendations. The CDC website suggests, “Add more fruit to your diet by grabbing a small apple or banana as your afternoon snack.”

Studies indicate that the majority of people eat an average of 2 times between meals per day. Rather than reach for a sugary drink or a candy bar from the vending machine, employees with access to fresh fruit are more  likely to avoid the afternoon energy crash. Providing fresh fruit for employees encourages healthy snacking. With proper handling, eating from the community fruit basket poses no risk of contracting COVID19.

Home Delivery Ends August 7, 2020

Hello, friends. We want to thank each and every one of you for the opportunity to be of service over the past few months. Our transition out of necessity from an office fruit delivery service to a home delivery provider has given us the chance to make many wonderful new friends. Sadly, we have found that we cannot sustain this particular line of business. Therefore, our last day of home delivery will be Friday, August 7. Recurring orders after Friday will be automatically cancelled so you don’t have to log in.

We will continue to provide fresh fruit and healthy snacks to OFFICES and hospitals throughout the Dallas/Fort Worth area. Additionally, we are proud to be the exclusive provider of Kevin’s creation: BOON Cacao Cashew protein bars. Crafted with love and purpose for Everyday Heroes like you, each bar has 18g of protein to satisfy any craving, and only 3g of sugar.

If you have any difficulty placing your last home delivery order, please reply to this e-mail or call 972.295.9091.

As you can imagine, this is a very painful decision. We want to thank every single one of you from the bottom of our hearts for the support we’ve received over these months. We wish all of you the best and hope to see you soon!

Fresh Fruit and Vegetables for Home Delivery Available A La Carte

Stay-At-Home orders and social distancing requirements are our new normal for the foreseeable future. As we adapt to the COVID19 crisis, our services are changing to better meet people’s needs. We are pleased to announce a la carte ordering for fresh fruits and vegetables for home delivery.

 

In addition to convenient and affordable packages, home delivery customers can now select individual items and receive the quantity and mix that works best for them. The minimum order for home delivery remains only $19 and the delivery fee is $5.

The following items are available a la carte:

  • Jazz apples
  • Gala apples
  • Granny Smith apples
  • Dole bananas
  • Clementines
  • D’Anjou pear
  • Avocado
  • Mango
  • Navel orange
  • Kiwi
  • Lemon
  • Lime
  • Grapefruit
  • Blueberries (1 dry pint)
  • Strawberries (16 oz clamshell)
  • Red seedless grapes (1 lb bag)
  • Green seedless grapes (1 lb bag)
  • Cherry tomatoes (1 dry pint)
  • Russet potato
  • Sweet potato
  • Onion
  • Garlic (1 head)
  • Carrots (1 cello bag)
  • Celery (1 head)
  • Green bell pepper

As always, our fresh fruit and vegetables are supplied by our trusted wholesale partners. This means our produce is never exposed to the public! Because we are not shopping for produce at the local grocery store, we are not contributing to shortages in our communities.

Thank you for supporting our small business! Thank you for your patience and your grace! We are deeply grateful for the opportunity to serve our neighbors and keep our employees working during this turbulent time.

Orchard Home Delivery Available in DFW Metroplex!

 

 

Expanding To Meet The Needs of Our Community

As more cities across North Texas enter mandatory Shelter At Home periods, Orchard Home Delivery is expanding to meet the needs of the community. From the addition of fresh vegetables and coffee to partnering with a local pie bakery, we are adapting to the ever-changing COVID-19 landscape.

Serving Seniors in North Texas

Our commitment to serving seniors has led us to create smaller fruit packages and a fresh fruit and veggie combination package that is ideal for couples or people who live alone. Since many seniors are not accustomed to ordering over the internet, we now offer telephone ordering. It is our pleasure to spend several minutes connecting over the phone with people who are isolated and lonely. Call us at 972-295-9091 and we will help you place an order.

A week’s worth of fresh produce delivered!

Serving People With Health Issues

Because we know that the coronavirus can survive on surfaces for an extended period of time, it is vital that people with compromised immune systems avoid exposure. Our fruit and vegetables are supplied by our trusted wholesale partners and come directly to our refrigerated warehouse in sealed cases from the distributors. This means our produce is never exposed to the public! Deliveries are made to the doorstep in a new, recyclable paper grocery bag to ensure adequate social distance is maintained and delivery professionals never enter a customer’s residence.

 

Serving Families with School-Aged Kids

Most families in the Metroplex are suddenly homeschooling since schools are closed for an indeterminate period. Parents are juggling remote work responsibilities and children’s learning needs. Bored and antsy kids are gobbling up snacks at an unprecedented rate. Orchard Snack Box features healthier versions of kids’ favorite junk foods. Unboxing a snack box filled with healthy treats is exciting and fun. It helps break the monotony and boredom of sheltering in place. It also saves parents a trip to the store!

Exciting, healthier snacks delivered to your door!

Serving Other Small Businesses

Orchard Home Delivery is proud to partner with another family-owned and operated local small business, Humble Pies. We are now delivering delicious, freshly made pies across the DFW Metroplex!

Humble Pies is owned by Sean and Erin Jett, a couple Orchard knows through our partnership with Dallas Running Club. Having a particular fondness for pie, Sean and Erin began gathering family recipes, perfecting their product, and finally, brought their dreams to fruition when they opened Humble Pies in May 2018.

“Pie is comforting and reminds us of our grandparents and holidays and family dinners,” says Erin. “Pie evokes memories. It’s simple food that is beautiful.” Order a beautiful, freshly made Humble Pie and get it delivered to your house!

Freshly baked Humble Pies delivered right to your door!

Delivering Locally Fresh-Roasted Coffee

Orchard Home Delivery is also partnering with Addison Coffee Roasters to deliver bags of fresh-roasted ground coffee. This exclusive, high-grown coffee has a bright, lively taste with plenty of fruit, and a hint of buttery caramel in the aroma, roasted to medium and ground for drip. A great all-around favorite, this coffee is perfect to homebrew at your own Café Quarantine. 

Locally-roasted, fresh ground coffee delivered to your door!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Working To Save Jobs

Orchard At The Office employs 24 North Texans in addition to being the sole source of income for the founders’ family of 6. However, our business is by no means in a unique situation during this crisis. We are deeply grateful for the support we are receiving from the DFW community. THANK YOU for supporting our small business and please continue to patronize the small businesses in your area. We are determined to emerge from this crisis stronger and kinder. BE POSITIVE AND STAY NEGATIVE, NORTH TEXAS!

Orchard Now Delivering to Homes

During this unprecedented time, we have made the decision to serve our communities by delivering fresh fruit and snack boxes to people’s homes.

Orchard At The Office has delivered fresh fruit to offices since 2010 and we are still delivering to offices that remain open during the COVID-19 crisis. In an attempt to “flatten the curve” and prevent widespread illness, many offices have temporarily closed. Thousands of people in our community cannot safely shop in public.

Social Distancing

Home delivery will allow us to provide fresh fruit and healthy snacks to vulnerable populations like seniors and people with compromised immune systems.  It will enable people who are self-quarantined due to recent travel, illness or possible exposure to COVID-19 to receive fresh fruit that may be out of stock from local grocery store delivery services. It also allows us to continue to employ our outstanding delivery drivers and staff, many of whom have been part of the Orchard team for 5+ years.

Many families are suddenly homeschooling since schools and daycare facilities are closed for an indeterminate period. Parents are juggling remote work responsibilities and children’s learning needs. Getting to the store is much more difficult with several children in tow. Plus, unboxing a snack box filled with healthy treats adds excitement and joy to a monotonous day in self-isolation.

Workplace Safety is Paramount

We are committed to following the CDC Guidelines for workplace safety. Our fruit is supplied by our trusted wholesale partners, not the local grocery store, so our delivery professionals are not exposed to large groups of people.  Deliveries are made to the doorstep to ensure 6 feet of social distance is maintained and we never enter a customer’s residence.

We look forward to serving our customers when their offices reopen and we will continue to serve our community members at home as long as the need exists.