Cyclospora. Veteran grocery execs have seen this movie before.
Nearly twenty years ago, the nationwide E. coli outbreak linked to fresh spinach sent shockwaves through the industry. It was bad, to the point where federal health officials urged Americans not to eat fresh spinach – a big ask considering Americans eat about three pounds of it every year. Supermarkets stripped entire sections of their produce departments. Consumers responded by abandoning the category virtually overnight.
The damage didn’t end when the contaminated product disappeared. According to the USDA, consumers spent $60.6 million less on fresh leafy greens through the end of 2007; spinach alone lost more than $200 million in sales.
Of course, confidence returned… but much more slowly than the product itself.
More recently, repeated romaine lettuce outbreaks forced retailers to remove products, post in-store notices, and answer “difficult” customer questions as investigators worked feverishly to narrow the source to places like Arizona and California.
Those nightmare scenarios accelerated investments in traceability, supplier oversight and field-level identification – improvements that continue to shape food safety across the produce industry today.
When the Playbook Doesn’t Quite Apply
Along comes Cyclospora.
Federal health officials have confirmed more than 1,600 illnesses across dozens of states, and investigators continue searching for the source. The FDA is actively investigating, but no broad national retail recall has been issued, and no consumer-facing retail brand has been publicly identified.
That leaves grocery retailers in an awkward position, to say the least. In a lot of ways, food recalls are the easy part of crisis communications.
A problem product is identified. A recall is announced. Retailers pull the affected items from their shelves. Customers are notified. Corrective steps are taken. The crisis passes.
It’s a very familiar playbook, one the grocery industry has refined over decades. This outbreak isn’t following that script, at least for the moment. Customers have heard about the outbreak and seen the headlines. They’re understandably concerned.
So… what should a supermarket say?
That’s where the communications challenge begins.
Calm Beats Speculation Every Time
Say nothing, and there’s a risk people might conclude the store is ignoring the situation or doesn’t care. Say too much, and you risk creating unnecessary alarm about products that may well be perfectly safe to purchase and consume. Neither outcome serves customers – or retailers – particularly well.
The goal isn’t to become the lead investigator. Leave that to the scientists and officials.
The goal is to become a trusted source of calm, factual information. That starts by acknowledging reality.
Tell customers you’re aware of the ongoing investigation, and explain that, at present, there is no recall affecting products in your stores. (Assuming that’s the case; I know of no Cyclospora-related recalls as of 10 AM on Friday, July 17.)
Reassure shoppers that your company continues to monitor guidance from the FDA and CDC while maintaining its own food safety and supplier standards.
And finally, make a clear commitment: If products sold in your stores become subject to a recall, let folks know they will be removed immediately and customers will be notified through the appropriate channels.
There’s a real temptation during any fast-moving event to do something and fill the information vacuum. I think that’s almost always a mistake. Facts emerge over time as investigations evolve. Retailers are generally better served by communicating what they know, acknowledging what they don’t, and promising to keep customers informed as new information becomes available.
Customer Expectations Are Higher Than Ever
After all, consumers have become much more savvy, and they expect the supermarkets to have done the same. They don’t simply expect clean stores and well-stocked shelves. Increasingly, they expect retailers to help interpret complex situations, whether it’s a food recall, supply chain disruption, severe weather event, or a food safety investigation.
In many ways, supermarkets have become trusted information sources as much as trusted food providers. That’s a responsibility that didn’t exist to the same degree twenty years ago.
It’s virtually certain the current Cyclospora investigation will eventually be resolved.
But history teaches us that, after the all-clear, product will be back on the shelves with all due speed, but confidence will return more slowly. In the absence of definitive information, clear, measured communication may be the most important product a supermarket has to offer.