Lessons Learned from the 2009 Peanut Recall: The Role of Social Media
10-19-2009
By Don Houghton, Guest Blogger
Every consumer remembers the peanut and pistachio recalls earlier this year and the panic that ensued about which products were safe and which were not. Yet another recall involving 3000 pounds of walnuts and nut toppings was just announced in mid-October.
A panel convened on October 14 to examine the role of social media in recalls as part of the Society of Consumer Affairs Professionals (SOCAP) Conference. Certainly consumers, safe food advocates, plaintiff’s attorneys and others were actively blogging their opinions and concerns, but did the growers and food processors effectively participate in the conversation?
The panel shared the following guidelines with the audience:
- Have an established social media policy for your organization – if you do nothing else
- Approach social media strategically – have a plan; develop in coordination with your media, marketing, PR, consumer affairs, web and online teams (and, for public companies, your investor relations staff)
- Have an online listening strategy and don’t be afraid of it – listen in on relevant blogs, websites, Twitter (www.twitter.com) Facebook (www.facebook.com) and more
- Bring bloggers and tweeters into corporate media relations outreach – more and more consumers are listening and reading online
- Engage actively in discussions online as part of consumer relations, communications and branding strategy
Panelists included: Brian Giannini with ExpertRecall™; Don Houghton with Academic Network, a Stericycle company; CJ Stafford of Stafford Communications; Linda Pell of The Kellogg Company; and Tammy Cossairt of Telerx.
The panel also examined the major aspects of product crisis management including response team preparedness, recall execution, communications and best practices for Consumer Relations reporting.
Stericycle ExpertRECALL™ is the industry leader in recall logistics and regulatory compliance for consumer product, pharmaceutical, medical device, juvenile product, and food and beverage recalls. ExpertRECALL’s professionals are experts in recall management who can help you streamline the entire product recall process.
[...] is the impact of social media (blogging, Twitter, Flickr, etc.)? How is it changing the face of recall notification? What is its [...]
[...] discussed the important role of social media during recalls. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is taking deliberate steps to connect with consumers [...]