Product Recall

For brands in the food industry, being prepared for a product recall is a critical part of their crisis and issues management plans. While no food brand wants to find itself asking retailers to pull products from shelves or for consumers to throw products in the trash, ensuring health and safety is of the utmost importance. Taking the right steps when a recall arises can not only help protect a brand’s reputation but also can help maintain consumer trust and confidence.

NST has led numerous product recalls in the food and agriculture space since its inception, including a national food brand that turned to NST to manage communications for its recall of more than 100,000 products from grocery stores across the country.

After receiving notification from the client that a product recall was necessary, NST quickly mobilized to begin the communications process. NST led the development of a transparent and accurate positioning and messaging platform to identify the facts of the products being recalled, how many products were affected, the number of retailers and private label brands impacted, and the reason for the recall.

NST drafted a press release, consumer affairs emails and phone scripts, social media responses, website content, letters for retailers, foodservice customer communications, and media statements to use as responses to inquiries from news outlets.

Once materials were approved by the client, NST coordinated with the FDA directly to receive regulatory approval of the press release. Upon approval, NST sent the press release to the FDA’s selected list of press contacts for media distribution. In this instance, NST selected to use the Associated Press (AP) as the main news outlet to disseminate important recall information due to the AP’s large national reach.

NST actively monitored social media chatter and the brand’s own profiles and mentions. NST also monitored and tracked media coverage of the recall, and served in the media relations role fielding questions from reporters and/or requests for interviews or company statements.

Throughout the recall, media coverage was fair and balanced and communicated accurate information about the products being recalled, why they were recalled and how consumers could receive a refund. Brand perception of the company both online and on the shelf remained unchanged, and the food brand continued to maintain customer and consumer trust.