Peanut Corporation of America: PR alone won’t do

Talk about food fights. The latest report on CNN reports on a new finding at the Texas plant of PCA: dead rodents, excrement, bird feathers. Somewhat disingenuously, the Texas Department of State Health Services ordered the recall of all products ever shipped from the plant. PCA has more than spelled out its own demise and offers a case study in what not to do for honest players in the food world. But even those of us in the food marketing world who maintain ethical standards face tough calls every day. Some years ago, when our PR firm was deeply entrenched in cheese and foodservice, we watched the evening news only to see an FBI spokesperson announcing the arrest of 79 employees at a prominent pizza chain we represented in New York. As it turned out, the chain’s owners had made one critical, but innocent mistake: leasing out one of the locations in question to the wrong people. At 6 am the next morning, we set up shop, developed a press release, determined a clear and honest public statement and invited the media into the chain’s main location. Within two days, The New York Times offered a truthful, sympathetic report on the family’s position. The key: we brought the entire family into the story, providing access to sons, daughters and the fatherly company owner. No spin, just the uncensored voices of embarrassed family members. This was followed by other positive media coverage and soon business at the chain was back to normal.

 Strong and strategic crisis management can make all the difference in the world. But its success depends on a simple requirement: the truth. With the PCA’s chief executive hiding behind the Fifth Amendment, the truth in this case appears elusive at best.