Peanuts in crisis

• Published in: Communication World 2010-07, Vol.27 (4), p.40
• Main Authors: Tisch, Daniel, George, Alison
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Communication; Consumers; Food safety; Internet resources; Management of crises; Manufacturers; Manufacturing; Media coverage; Peanuts; Product recalls; Public relations; Salmonella; Social networks
• ISSN: 0744-7612

On Jan 9, 2009, the state of Minnesota warned of the possible salmonella contamination of a relatively small brand of peanut butter sold in institutions. It was the first news of an outbreak that would eventually be linked to nine deaths and 714 illnesses in the US and Canada, requiring a recall of more than 3,900 products by over 200 companies, at a cost of hundreds of millions of dollars. The American Peanut Council, the association representing all segments of the US peanut industry; its partner Argyle Communications; and the Washington, D.C., office of Argyle partner Ogilvy Public Relations were soon managing industry communication for the largest food recall in North American history. The first week was spent building an infrastructure for crisis management. This involved working with US and Canadian regulators to establish the facts, identifying the target consumer, evaluating media coverage and understanding the many different perspectives from different segments of the US peanut industry.