Nestlé, the world’s largest food company, has set out what it will pay staff affected by “temporary stoppages” caused by the coronavirus outbreak.

“We are offering additional support to staff affected by the crisis, including generous sick leave arrangements, financial support and a guarantee of full pay for a minimum of 12 weeks for hourly and salaried staff affected by temporary stoppages,” the KitKat chocolate and Maggi sauces owner said yesterday (26 March).

“We would like to assure our customers and consumers that we will continue to produce and deliver products to meet global demand. Our people are fully committed and are working tirelessly to ensure that supply is maintained. We have put enhanced safety measures in place at all sites, with particular focus on front-line workers in Nestlé factories, quality labs and distribution centres.”

Nestlé has not publicly set out which, if any, of its facilities have seen stoppages, although, on Wednesday, the company’s publicly-listed India subsidiary said it had “scaled down or suspended” parts of its operations in the country.