Thought Leadership

Most parents know to look out for common dangers in the home that have the potential to injure their child, like household chemicals and cleaners, open windows and staircases. While they might be quick to purchase cabinet door locks and baby gates, parents could be missing a danger lurking in every bedroom of their home—the risk of injury or death from tipping furniture, particularly dressers.

Sleeplessness is a common malady of business leaders whose companies have had to undergo a product recall. When a recall hits home, how well a company prepares for and manages the recall requirements can mean the difference between preserving customer loyalty and severely damaging the brand reputation, or even worse…sink a business entirely. Anxiety levels spike throughout the company as leaders brace for bad publicity, lower earnings, lost market share, legal liability, or a host of other unwanted outcomes.

On January 14th, the CDC reported the conclusion of an outbreak of Salmonella Agbeni illnesses that initially began in November of last year. The outbreak of Salmonella – which can cause diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps and can result in death if left untreated – was linked to four types of Duncan Hines boxed cake mix.

In October, the FDA released new draft guidance for the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) on how to meet its seven key rules for ensuring the safety of our food supply. A month later, the nation was hit with yet another major food-borne outbreak – E. coli-contaminated romaine lettuce that killed five and sickened hundreds of consumers across 36 states.

While recalls vary widely in their scope and impact, the truth is that there really are no small recalls. When it comes to brand reputation and consumer perception, the scale of a recall often doesn’t matter. One negative media report or one simple mistake can turn a small, seemingly manageable event into a much larger problem. To truly protect their brands, companies need to be prepared for a recall of any size.