Food Safety Recommendations: Crisis Communications

1. From Producer to Consumer Food Safety Recommendations: Crisis Communications Farmers Market Federation of NY Cornell Cooperative Extension, Jefferson County Funded by USDA AMS

2. Goal of Crisis Communications Effective Crisis Communication can help to: • keep the event from rising to the level of crisis • Minimize the impact of the crisis on the farm/market/organization • Allows the farm/market/organization to control the situation • Ensures messages are accurately and quickly disseminated, understood and accepted • See that the farm/market/organization is seen in a positive light • Ensure that messages result in meaningful and appropriate actions Food Safety for Direct Marketing

3. Goal of Crisis Communications Ineffective crisis communications can: • Raise levels of pubic anxiety, fear and fuel rumors • Result in inaccurate perceptions of risk • Result in exaggerated allegations and claims • Result in injury or harm • Result in negative image of the farm/market/organization • Result in loss of consumer confidence Food Safety for Direct Marketing

4. A Crisis at Your Market, Farm or CSA Food Safety for Direct Marketing

5. Crisis Communication Team #1 Contact NYSDOH and NYSDAM for guidance #2 seek counsel from: • a legal representative • Your insurance agent • Public relations expert #3 Have a prepared protocol to follow Food Safety for Direct Marketing

6. Create a Crisis Communication Team • Team should consist of: • farm owner, CSA or market manager • Key staff members • Communications professional • Crisis Communications committee should: • Conduct a Crisis Audit • Formulate response message • Designate spokesperson • Define roles of all individuals involved • Create a crisis plan Food Safety for Direct Marketing

7. The Crisis Audit • Potential vulnerabilities • Document current policies and procedures • Document and understand any relevant legislation Food Safety for Direct Marketing

8. The Crisis Plan • Identifies the crisis response team • Identifies roles of all members of the organization • Identifies stakeholders, media contacts • Develops crisis scenarios with appropriate course of action for each • Creates the position statement (message) Food Safety for Direct Marketing

9. Proactive Measures Why respond? • You have an opportunity to control the message • Thorough explanation of what happened, when and where • Include what you are doing to fix the problem • You will be building a public image as responsible and customer-focused • Wouldn’t you want to know • Be ethical and responsible Food Safety for Direct Marketing

10. Golden Rules of Crisis Communications • Respond swiftly • Be the first to tell your story • Know the facts • Don’t respond to rumors • Tell exactly what happened • If you don’t know the answer to a question, find the answer and respond then • Be accessible Food Safety for Direct Marketing

11. Reactive Measures • Set up a Google alert with your farm name, your market’s name and vendor names • News articles • Social media postings • Key word suggestions • Food safety • Food borne illness • Use specific crops; i.e. tomato, peppers, etc • Farmers markets Food Safety for Direct Marketing

12. The Right Way to react Online • Join in the conversations by monitoring where your name appears online • DO ignore overly hostile comments • DO respond to concerns • DO NOT comment on hypothetical events that have nothing to do with you or your farm • DO NOT assume someone’s culpability • DO NOT get into a lengthy back and forth discussion. Suggest an offline conversation Food Safety for Direct Marketing

13. When a Crisis Occurs with Your Product or Within Your Market Food Safety for Direct Marketing

14. How to Retain Customers • Open your doors • Show the public your “new” farm, policies • Give your farm/market a face – easier to forgive a face than an organization • Do something new • Use the increased media attention to your benefit • Support the positive, minimize the negative • Discuss the value to place on customer safety • Be patient • This was a single event, not a defining trait Food Safety for Direct Marketing

15. Preventive Maintenance Food Safety for Direct Marketing

16. What you can do today • Follow food safety guidelines • Send a press release highlighting your efforts to promote food safety • Signage: “Food safety measures are in place” • Signage: “Four Rules of Food Safety: Clean, Separate, Cook, Chill” • Pass out fact sheets on safe transport, storage, preparation and handling of food. • Launch a “Food Safety Awareness Day/Week/Month • Use social media to stress your dedication to food safety Food Safety for Direct Marketing

17. Resources • www.PRSA.org Public Relations Society of America • http://plantsforhumanhealth.ncsu.edu/extension/marketready/pdfs-ppt/NC%20MarketReady%20Crisis%20Communications%20Training%20Guide.pdf • http://www.foodsafety.ksu.edu/articles/313/crisis_communication_planning_manual.pdf Food Safety for Direct Marketing

18. Project Committee Project Leaders: • Diane Eggert, Farmers Market Federation of NY • Amanda Root, CCE Jefferson County • Katherine Lang, CCE St. Lawrence County • Rosalind Cook, CCE Jefferson County Committee: • Betsy Bihn, National GAPs Administrator • John Lukor, NYSDAM, Food Safety Division • Dave Wyman, Wyman & Associates Insurance • Lindsay Ott, Lindsay Ott Communications • Laura Biasillo, CCE Broome County • Isabel Prescott, Riverview Orchards • Phil Harnden, Garden Share • JoEllen Saumier, Kirbside Gardens • Solveig Hanson, Harris Seeds • Michelle Sherman, University of Minnesota • Bob Buccieri, Seneca Falls Farmers Market • Robert Hadad, Cornell Ag Team Food Safety for Direct Marketing

19. Questions? Food Safety for Direct Marketing