Food Safety & Product Recall - APCO Worldwide

Food Safety & Product Recall
engage. protect. rebuild.
Today’s consumer is more educated than
ever about threats to their food supply, and
this sophistication is growing as information
becomes readily available from a multitude of
sources. At the same time, the challenges of
an increasingly globalized food supply chain
are evident when consumers are exposed
to diseases from contaminated ingredients
in imported food products. Furthermore,
regulatory authorities around the world are
becoming more stringent in their oversight of
food safety and recalls, leading to more food
recalls that are highly visible to the public.
Given this heightened oversight and attention,
companies must adapt to the new environment.
Companies need to become more transparent
and proactive in the way they engage with
diverse stakeholders about their food safety
efforts. In the event of a recall, they must
handle the situation in a way that engenders
trust and restores confidence in the company
and food brand that is being challenged.
APCO Worldwide’s food safety and product recall
practice brings together professionals from the
policy, communication and scientific arenas to
offer counsel and tactical support to companies
at a time when the regulatory landscape is quickly
changing and news flow is instantaneous.
CAPABILITIES
APCO’s professionals and senior advisors
help companies effectively communicate their
food safety commitments and actions to key
audiences, including food companies, consumers,
suppliers and regulators. By looking at all of
your stakeholders as conduits of information
to each other, we help strategically manage
your message in a way that has impact. Our
history of successfully managing product
recalls – some very public, others businessto-business
– serves as the foundation for our
holistic approach to food safety issues.
APCO’s global team has considerable
sectoral and tactical experience. Senior
members of our team include:
• A former chair of the Codex Alimentarius
Commission, the international food
standards and safety body established by
the Food and Agriculture Organization
(FAO) of the United Nations and the
World Health Organization (WHO)
• A former U.S. Department of Agriculture
assistant secretary for food safety
• A food and nutrition policy expert and
practicing dietician, formerly at the
Grocery Manufacturers Association
• A former U.S. Food and Drug Administration
chief of consumer education and
information, chief of press relations and
associate commission for public affairs
• A former head of communication from a
global consumer products company
• A former executive responsible for
managing global reputation for major
consumer goods products
• A former chief executive of the Food
Standards Authority in the UK
• A former chairman of the China
operations of a major international
food and agricultural producer
• A former China general manager
of a leading fast-food brand
OUR EXPERIENCE
APCO’s team has experience in a wide
range of issues related to food safety
and product recalls. We have:
• Managed a U.S.-wide recall of black pepper
due to salmonella contamination
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• Worked with one of the world’s largest
consumer product companies to develop a
global crisis and recall training protocol
• Helped a global pet food company
rebuild their reputation following a series
of recalls from a variety of issues
• Supported the U.S. beef industry and
international animal health industry
with issues management and food
safety science communication
• Managed communication around the
largest food recall in the history of the
United States, using a process of localized
spokespeople in key distribution centers
• Provided crisis communication, media
relations and government relations services
to four multinational companies during
the melamine crisis in China (our clients’
products were not contaminated, but as
leading players in the dairy industry in
Asia, their reputations were also at risk)
• Helped several multinational food companies
develop a stakeholder engagement
program to rebuild their reputation in
the aftermath of the melamine crisis
• Advised a number of multinational food
companies on the regulatory framework
affecting food safety and labeling across
Southeast Asia and Greater China
• Developed and executed a communication
strategy for the opening of a client’s first
infant formula manufacturing plant in Asia
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
Americas
Eliot Hoff
senior director
360 Park Avenue South
11th Floor
New York, NY 10010
United States
tel: +1.212.300.1801
ehoff@apcoworldwide.com
Asia
Berenice Voets
director
1903, 19/F Cambridge House
TaiKoo Place
979 King’s Road
Hong Kong
tel: +852.282.9327
bvoets@apcoworldwide.com
• Managed the communication surrounding
a product recall for a multinational food
company in Saudi Arabia and South Africa
• Handled all media and stakeholder
relations during a precautionary product
recall in Latvia and Lithuania for a major
health care nutrition company
• Facilitated internal strategy workshops
on crisis management protocols and
developed crisis preparedness plans for a
number of multinational food companies
EMEA
Stephanie Lvovich
executive director
90 Long Acre
London
WC2E 9RA
United Kingdom
tel: +44.207.526.3627
slvovich@apcoworldwide.com
To find out how APCO makes a difference for our clients, go to www.apcoworldwide.com/clientsuccess.