What steps should you take at the first signs of a potential crisis?
An excess in a sample, what now?
The FASFC takes a sample of a branded product and sends it to a laboratory. The analysis discovers an exceeded standard. What now? What steps should you take? Can you reduce the risk of an upcoming crisis or avoid it altogether?
What steps did this company take?
Besides analysing a counter sample, the company took some other steps:
- The company listed their stakeholders: consumers, authorities, involved & uninvolved customers and the manufacturer.
- It demanded a risk analysis performed by an independent expert.
- It made an inventory of the product and, if possible, blocked it.
- It notified the FASFC and the involved customer.
A few days later, the counter analysis confirms the excess. The company is fully prepared to punctually carry out the necessary steps - as agreed with the FASFC - and to communicate appropriately with their stakeholders.
3 tips!
Food Security helps her members by:
Converting our broad experience, based on some 80 incidents a year, into practical tips and advice during an incident. We also share tips and advice when performing a simulation exercise, during which we act as a (co)designer of the scenario, a coach during the exercise and a writer of a report with points for improvement.
Organising a crisis communication workshop, during which we discover some tools together.
Learning points
What to do when a consumer reacts in an unexpected way?
What do you do when faced with an unexpected response? How do you prepare your consumer service for the unexpected?
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