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 |
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.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.
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