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Communicating During a Crisis

February 12, 2010

22April 13, 2023 2

Introductions

Josh Morton, Account Supervisor

t @joshmortonjmorton@foodminds.com

A food & nutrition company.

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Today’s agenda:

• Review preliminary concepts

• Introduce the scenario

• Formulate responses

• Share strategies

• Discussion

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In a crisis…

…You can respond using any number of media, but it’s important to step back before you jump in.

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What are the most important factors in crisis response?

- Speed

- Intelligence

- Messaging

It’s not the medium, it’s the message.

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You can’t ‘control your message,’ but you can control what you say.

And how you say it, when you say it, can influence the conversation about you.

Principles of Messaging

• Define your stakeholders– Consumers, suppliers, government,

• Anticipate questions– Informational, challenging

• Develop answers– Ease concern, show compassion, give

guidance

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JOHN COWBOYBEEF

Your Role: Communications DirectorJohn Cowboy Beef

-Established 1910

- Family-owned

- Fifth largest beef company in the U.S.

- Supply to high-end steakhouses

- Premium line of ground beef, frozen burgers

- Flawless record of safety

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You

The Scenario:

vs.

E. coli

The Scenario: Multi-State Outbreak of E. coli

• The CDC and USDA’s Food Safety and

Inspection Service (FSIS) are investigating a

multi-state outbreak of E. coli O157:H7

• Investigators have found 20 people ill with

matching strains of E. coli, most had consumed

or handled ground beef from two restaurants

supplied by John Cowboy Beef

• USDA is requesting JCB issue a Class I recall of

200,000 lbs of ground beef (Class I is a

reasonable probability that eating the food will

cause health problems or death)

• Cases identified in Illinois, Indiana, New

York and Connecticut

• JCB has received 50 calls in the past

week from worried restaurant managers in

7 states (including the four under federal

investigation)

• No deaths have been identified thus far

The Scenario: Multi-State Outbreak of E. coli

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E. Coli O157:H7- Outbreaks often are caused by food that has the bacteria in it, typically from animal manure (cattle)

- Every year at least 2,000 Americans are hospitalized, and about 60 die as a direct result of E. coli infections

- A recent study estimated the annual cost of E. coli O157:H7 illnesses to be more than $405 million

- E. coli can be spread by eating undercooked meat and poor hand washing

- Symptoms are typically easy to see

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Health Tips: E. coli

- Listen to information from public health officials on what foods to avoid

- Cook ground beef to 160 degrees

- Keep raw meat away from other foods

- Wash your hands!

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Time to write the messaging.

Identify Your Audience

• Who are our stakeholders?– Consumers

– Restaurants

– Government (USDA/CDC)

– Employees

– Media

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Anticipate Questions

• Informative:– What should restaurants do?

– How did this happen?

• Challenging:– What are you doing to solve the problem?

– What are your safety/sanitation practices

like?

– When did you know about the

contamination?

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Develop Answers: Key Messages & Message Mapping – Focus on Consumers/Media

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Develop Your Messaging

- Consumers/Media

- Government Agencies

- Restaurants

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Develop Answers: Key Messages & Message Mapping – Focus on Consumers/Media

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Now, how will we communicate and where?

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Discussion

222April 13, 2023 22

Thank You!

Josh Morton

t @joshmortonjmorton@foodminds.com

A food & nutrition company.

www.foodminds.com