Posted: May 16th, 2012 - 1:00pm
Source: Meatingplace

With more and more scrutiny around recalls and other crises that befall meat processors, companies need to have in place plans to not only correct the immediate problem associated with their products but also to better communicate their actions to the public.
Gene Grabowski, executive vice president, of Washington D.C.-based Levic Strategic Communications, who coaches companies through about 200 product recalls (two-thirds food per year, sat down with Meatingplace at the AMI Expo in Dallas and offered some thoughts on the industry’s communication efforts.
“I think the meat industry has a lot to learn about communicating its issues …,” he said.
The industry got a big test when lean finely textured beef came under fire earlier this year, and Grabowski said it taught a harsh lesson about the need for meat processors to more quickly communicate their message.
The LFTB crisis also highlighted the power of evolving media, and how quickly information moves.
Grabowski said it’s crucial for meat processors to recognize that consumers prefer to communicate via social media and join that conversation.