The Food and Drink Federation (FDF) has announced a new 16-week partnership with job recruitment app Syft to help find jobs for those effected by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The partnership will help find jobs within the food and drink supply chain for workers who have been made redundant or placed on furlough leave as a result of the outbreak.

Syft is one of the UK’s leading flexible staffing platforms and is GLAA licensed to supply food packaging and processing roles, helping the FDF’s members continue to meet the growing demand for food.

FDF and Syft are hoping the collaboration will quickly help as many people as possible return to employment, whilst also helping the FDF’s members identify and recruit suitable candidates.

“The FDF wanted to provide a solution for those who may be struggling to find work from other sectors and move them into food and drink where possible and Syft provides this opportunity.”

As part of the partnership, Syft will work with the FDF’s food and drink members to access their database of over 33,000 workers to fill essential jobs.

FDF’s chief operating officer, Tim Rycroft, said: “We are delighted to be able to announce this partnership with Syft. Food and drink workers across the supply chain are hidden heroes.

“The FDF wanted to provide a solution for those who may be struggling to find work from other sectors and move them into food and drink where possible and Syft provides this opportunity. We hope this is the first of similar collaborations so sectors can share expertise and resources while the country navigates its way through this difficult time.”

Jack Beaman, CEO of Syft, said: “At Syft, we are determined to continue to help people get jobs during these difficult times. Partnering with the FDF will help thousands of our workers with prior experience in industrial and warehousing to get access to work. Our platform enables food and drink supply chain businesses to gain instant access to verified workers, lifting their staffing pressure and workload in this critical period.”