Jif Stuck in a Recall Jam Demonstrates a Teachable Moment
Introduction by Howard Fencl, Hennes Communications…
It’s not even a guilty pleasure. I have unapologetically devoured ton upon ton of JIF peanut butter in my lifetime. And I’ll continue doing so. Not to denigrate Skippy or Peter Pan or the grocery store’s pricey boutique nut butter offerings, but I’ve been a Jif guy for a long, long time.
I scared the bejeezus out of my grandmother when, as a toddler, I developed a necessary life skill allowing me to eat Jif directly off of a butter knife (“YOU’LL CUT YOUR TONGUE!”). I wolfed down great gobs of it in undergrad when I had no money to buy the tony treats on display at the student union snack counter. I have become the hero of my children and grandchildren prescribing a teaspoon of Jif to alleviate sore throat symptoms. (Try it, it works because the residual peanut oils coat your throat every time you swallow. I think).
So, it was initially in abject horror that while doing my daily doomscrolling, I landed on an item about a Jif recall over salmonella concerns.
I’ve worked on plenty of product recalls in my day, but now, I was smack on the other side of a crisis. Now, it was all about me.
Did the J. M. Smucker Co., Jif’s parent company, handle recall communications the way they should have? Here’s PR News’ interview with our good friend at kglobal, Gene Grabowski, who as always, has some very tasty advice.
Jif Stuck in a Recall Jam Demonstrates a Teachable Moment
From Nicole Schuman, writing for PR News…
Peanut butter lovers poured out (or maybe scooped out) several jars of Jif this weekend after J.M. Smucker Co. issued a voluntary recall of almost 50 varieties of its peanut butter Friday (May 20). Smucker’s move came after a potential salmonella contamination, which the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says was tied to 14 illnesses in a dozen states. So far two people are hospitalized.
The New York Times reports the FDA found epidemiological evidence of salmonella in peanut butter produced at the Smucker facility in Lexington, Ky.
The FDA cross-posted J.M. Smucker Co.’s announcement on its website, which the FDA did as a public service.
While bad news for many a school lunch and smoothie enthusiast, recalls are not unusual in the food industry and other business sectors. Recalls, voluntary and mandatory, occur nearly daily, for everything from bagged salads to doorbell cameras and treadmills. While recalls may cause people to clean out their fridge and review every recent meal, generally they are not fatal for companies.
“People are now familiar with recalls,” says Gene Grabowski, partner at kglobal, who has communicated more than 200 food, drug and consumer product recalls. “People see recalls every week. At their supermarket, on the cork board….People understand and accept recalls. What they don’t understand or accept is the perception that you’re hiding something.”
For the rest, click here.