Today

As a result of the incidents of 2008, the federal government implemented stricter guidelines for the food industry. Provinces were given greater roles, especially when it came to provincial labs doing molecular fingerprinting of strains, rather than relying and waiting on federal labs. Health inspectors are required to do more rigorous inspections of food processing companies and the overall hygiene of the facilities. All together there were 57 new strategies implemented to keep the public safe from future disasters.

Maple Leaf Foods has had a jump in profit in 2013. Their stock has climbed 10 percent so far this year, with earnings rising 91.3 million from last year. The company is concentrating on closing older facilities and modernizing others.

On a personal note Michael McCain who is said to have a net worth of 500 million dollars is required to pay his ex-wife $175,000 a month in spousal support.

The company and the CEO both seem to be doing very well financially. It must be amazing to have that kind of money. I don’t know about you guys but I wouldn’t mind having a few of those millions. Still, no matter what kind of money we have happiness and family are the most important. I feel that if the people involved in the crisis, the people who lost loved ones, could choice money or family, the choice would be obvious.

 

References:

  Listeriosis outbreak timeline. (2009). CBC News. Retrieved from http://www.cbc.ca/news/story/2008/08/26/f-meat-recall=timeline.html

Maple Leaf Foods profit jumps as charges drop.(2013).Reuters. Retrieved from http://ca.reuters.com/article/businessNews/idCABRE91P0HD20130226

McInnis, F.(2013). Maple Leaf Foods CEO Michael McCain must pay $175,000 to his ex-wife every month.Retrieved from http://www.torontolife.com/daily/informer/my-name-is-lucre/2013/01/14/michael-mccain-divorce-spousal-support/ 

Working Together

Michael McCain was recognized as one of the 25 most Influential people in business.He was also called the “Canadian poster boy for crisis management and corporate responsibility.” The CEO was awarded this honor in 2008. This was the result of his ability to change a public health tragedy into a victory story. McCain humbly admits that the honor does not belong just to him. It is about the group and the obligation that we face together. Though he was the face of the organization, it was a team effort, a group of 23000 people working together and acting as a unit. In the 2009, consumers acknowledged Maple Leaf Foods pledge and granted them the Most Trusted Brand in packed meat in Reader’s Digest.

In business and in life reputation decides whether we survive or not. People and Business can only endure from adverse situations if they have a concrete reputation. The company will have to continuously work on their reputation. Recalls and broadcast of listeria in the news will not help them with their reputation but continuously monitoring and finding ways to re-establish capital will help their score.

The way a company or a person represents themselves and their company affects everything. As we seen in a previous post on Menu Foods reputation can result in staying in business and going out of business. Maple Leaf Foods with their solid reputation and dedication to improvement are still in business today.

References:

Guffey, M. R. (2011). Maple Leaf Foods - Rebounding From Tragedy. Business Communication. Toronto, ON: Nelson Education Ltd.

Lessons Learned

SEVEN TEACHINGS FROM MAPLE LEAF FOODS CRISIS

1. Use a noticeable representative: Maple Leaf Foods, president, Michael McCain spoke to the media and gave the company’s version of the story.

2. Apologize to the Public: McCain apologized for the tragedy in a video that was on TV and YouTube.

3. Take charge of the situation: When the link between Maple Leaf Foods and listeria was established, they immediately began to eliminate all 220 packed items made at affected plant.

4. Repair the problem: The Company worked with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Public Health Canada, and internal experts to regulate the specifics of the food safety protocols under which the facility could be reopened. They also worked with leading industry experts to consult and give guidance on physical and operational improvements.

5. Use suitable messaging: The Company has repeated the same sympathetic messages.

6. Be Constant: The company was constant in its messaging

7. Be Open: The Company recognised the situation and dealt with it  accordingly.

The way that Maple Leaf Foods dealt with the food crisis, admitting fault and accepting responsibility, saved both the brand and reputation of the company. By simply saying sorry we know it is our fault and we will take the necessary steps to fix it, they were able to stay in business and regain customer loyalty.

Maple Leaf Foods actions are the reason that I believe they are still in business to this day. Other businesses can learn from the following the example of the company. The company had a plan of action which they implied very well. As with many situations in life apologizing can help a situation immersely.


References:

Fleet. D.(2008). 7 Lessons from Maple Leaf Foods' Crisis Communications. Retrieved from http://davefleet.com/2008/08/7-lessons-from-maple-leaf-foods-crisis-communications/

Guffey, M. R. (2011). Maple Leaf Foods - Rebounding From Tragedy. Business Communication. Toronto, ON: Nelson Education Ltd.

Wilson, T.(2011).The bestb legal advice is often an apology.The Globe and Mail.

 

 

 

 

Listeriosis Prevention

Below I have listed some of the ways that we can help prevent listeriosis, the illness that is the result of the listeria bacteria. I hope that following these precautions when dealing with foods will help reduce the levels of bacteria in our homes.

Clean:

·         Make sure to wash hands thoroughly for at least 20 seconds before and after handling food

·         Clean cutting boards, dishes, utensils, and countertops with hot soapy water after they have come in connection with raw meat.

·         Wash raw food with water

·         Wipe up spills in refrigerator straightaway and sanitize regularly

Separate:

·         Raw meat, chicken, and seafood can contain harmful bacteria, separate from other products

·         Cut these items on separate cutting board than uses for produce

·         Separate plates should be used for raw foods, cooked foods, and ready-to-eat foods

Cook:

·         Heat foods to the proper temperature, this will help kill harmful bacteria. Check temperature with clean food thermometer.

·         Make certain eggs are firm

·         Fish should be dense and flaky

·         Leftovers should be reheated to 165 degrees

Chill:

·         Refrigerator temperature must be at 4 degrees Celsius

·         Store perishable foods, precooked or ready-to-eat, at 4 degrees Celsius, eat them a.s.a.p.

·         Refrigerate or freeze perishables within two hours of consumption or preparation

 





References:

  Food Facts. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.fda.gov/Food/ResourcesForYou/Consumers/ucm079667.htm

Guffey, M. R. (2011). Maple Leaf Foods - Rebounding From Tragedy. Business Communication. Toronto, ON: Nelson Education Ltd.

 

Safety At Maple Leaf Foods

Maple Leaf Foods has committed itself to preventing an incident like the one of 2008 from ever happening again. The company has doubled testing and improved its exploration of the results. The crisis was damaging for the company. It resulted in a 27 million dollar lawsuit. The company settled with the families of the victims in December of 2008.

Maple Leaf Foods has continued to rebound from the tragedy. Even the slice meat that was at the root of the listeriosis crisis has rebounded. They used price discounting and coupons to get people to buy the products. This resulted in reduced profit margins.

Michael McCain

"It's blindingly clear that Maple Leaf was responsible for the loss of 21 lives," McCain told a meeting of The Toronto Star's editorial board. "I felt that personally." The CEO admits that the company did not analysis the results of the internal listeria tests rigorously enough. 2008 was the worst year in the company's history.

Trust, transparency, credibility, commitment, and honesty are the attributes that Maple Leaf Foods used to rebound from the 2008 tragedy. When the company realized the cases of listeriosis were the result of cold cuts from their Toronto plant they shut the plant down. Michael McCain, president, gave a heartfelt apology. He confirmed the company’s commitment to food quality. The public appreciated the trustworthiness and credibility. The video helped people to feel more positive toward the company.

By taking responsibility for the disaster I believe the company was able to gain the support of the public. If the company would have chosen to divert the blame, to the government for not having stricter laws involving food regulations, the public would have not have been so responsive to Maple Leaf Foods. They made the issue more human ,not so corporate.

http://www.ivey.uwo.ca/research/leadership/news-and-events/events/2012/culture-waterstone-mlf.pdf

http://www.mapleleaf.com/en/market/food-safety/food-safety-at-maple-leaf/food-safety-pledge/


References:

Health officials probe more deaths, advise tossing suspect meat. (2008). CBC News. Retrieved from http://www.cbc.ca/news/story/2008/08/21/listeriosis.html

Guffey, M. R. (2011). Maple Leaf Foods - Rebounding From Tragedy. Business Communication. Toronto, ON: Nelson Education Ltd.

Maple Leaf Foods Apologizes

CEO Michael McCain of Maple Leaf Foods took full responsibility for the listeria outbreak of 2008. The company continues to be proactive. When Michael spoke to a parliamentary committee responsible for examining food safety, he told them "This was a defining moment for Maple Leaf Foods and for those who work there. We are determined to make a terrible wrong, right. This is our obligation to those who died, and their families."

Since the outbreak Maple Leaf Foods has become a leader in food safety. The company is trying to convince the Canadian government to implement stricter food regulations. Michael recognizes that his company will have to continue to strive to mend the bridge between themselves and the public. Maple Leaf Foods must continue to focus on their main principles of honesty, transparency, and public service. If they cannot accomplish this the government will have to become more involved in food regulations.

The fact that Maple Leaf Foods took responsibility for the crisis of 2008 was a good marketing strategy. Instead of trying to hide away or avoid the issue they hit it head on. Accepting and apologizing, gave the public an opportunity to be more patient of the part the company played in the crisis. 





References:

Guffey, M. R. (2011). Maple Leaf Foods - Rebounding From Tragedy. Business Communication. Toronto, ON: Nelson Education Ltd.

 How Maple Leaf Foods is handling the Listeria outbreak. (2008). CBC News. Retrieved from http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/story/2008/08/27/f-crisisresponse.html

 

Reputation

 

 

 

Dave Scholz, vice president of Leger Marketing, was correct in his claim that Maple Leaf Foods would rebound from the negative publicity.

Maple Leaf Foods is one of our oldest and most recognizable companies. This tragedy resulted in a public relations nightmare for the organization. This caused a loss of reputation which in turn resulted in a loss in business. Maple Leaf Foods' commitment to finding ways to redeem themselves and their products is a major reason that they were able to mend their reputation.

In January of 2009, their reputation was finally starting to rise when there was another recall. They then had to attempt to once again gain positive support from customers and rebuild customer trust.

The components that have aided Maple Leaf Foods to mend customer relationships are trust, clarity, credibility, assurance, and morality.

I feel that Maple Leaf Foods should have done more at the beginning when they knew that they had listeria in the plant. According to the video above, yes they did clean the machinery that tested positive for listeria but because they were not required to test the food they did not. I feel that they should have tested the food out of concern for their customers. The death's that were attributed to the tainted food could have possibly been prevented if stronger precautions were implemented.

 

References:

Guffey, M. R. (2011). Maple Leaf Foods - Rebounding From Tragedy. Business Communication. Toronto, ON: Nelson Education Ltd.