5 lessons from the strawberry needle crisis
When consumers discovered needles in their strawberries in Australia, an entire industry was thrust into turmoil. Here’s what can be learned from the official crisis response.
Australia is in the grips of a food contamination crisis after metal needles were discovered in strawberries.
The soft fruit sabotage has spread to at least six brands in four states and has resulted in Coles and Aldi supermarkets pulling the product from their shelves across the country. Additionally, New Zealand food distributors have stopped selling Australian strawberries.
The Queensland Strawberry Growers Association says that the incident has brought a multi-million-dollar industry “to its knees.” To complicate the issue further a woman was caught putting a needle into a banana in an apparent copycat act.
Clearly, this is a crisis with huge commercial and consumer confidence implications. What can we learn about the way it is being managed?
1. Have a clear message.
In a crisis like this, you need simple, clear advice if you are going to reassure customers.
Consumers want to know whether the strawberries they have brought are safe to eat and whether they need to avoid buying them next time they are in the supermarket.
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