The company believed responsible for the recent salmonella outbreaks, Peanut Corp. of America, is going to need a lot more than a crisis management team to salvage their reputation after the latest twist in their already devastating situation. Federal investigators have announced that owner Stewart Parnell knowingly shipped salmonella-tainted foods even after internal tests showed they were contaminated and begged federal officials to let him use peanuts associated with infected batches.
This article from Forbes details several emails from the man who just this January told his employees that “…we have never found any salmonella at all” including one in which he was informed of a batch testing positive and replied nonchalantly “thanks…I go thru this about once a week … I will hold my breath ………. again …”
This could be the beginning of one of the most high-profile tainted food cases we’ve ever seen; keep an eye on it for a study in litigation and crisis response on the national level.
JB
Jonathan Bernstein
www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com