The more we think about it, the more we think Boar’s Head’s response to its listeria crisis is a good example of bad crisis communications. Especially given that the outbreak has allegedly killed nine people, the effort really does seem inadequate. Partly this is because so much of that effort has relied on corporate-speak and clichéd crisis language.

On July 25, Boar’s Head — producer of delicatessen meats, cheeses and condiments — recalled its Strassburger Brand Liverwurst because it had “the potential to be adulterated with listeria.” The company recalled nine other products made on the same production line in the same Jarratt, Virginia, facility.

Four days later, Boar’s Head voluntarily expanded the recall to include every item produced at that facility and halted its operations there. Testing had confirmed a link between the liverwurst and an outbreak of infections from listeria, a parasitical bacterium. The expanded recall added up to seven million pounds of meat, including ham, bologna, bacon, hot dogs and sausage.

Mold, Insects

This is the largest listeriosis outbreak since 2011, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, with nine deaths and at least 57 hospitalizations in 18 states. Federal inspectors found dozens of violations, including improperly stored products, meat buildup on line equipment and mold, mildew and insects throughout the facility. Boar’s Head faces at least seven lawsuits over the outbreak, including for wrongful death.

In terms of getting out information, the company hasn’t said much beyond a website page it erected about the recall. It has posted sporadically about the issue on Facebook.

This lack of communication is a mistake. People have died. Boar’s Head, based in Sarasota, Florida, has been closely held by the same two families going back to its 1905 origins in Brooklyn, New York. So, reputationally, it doesn’t have investors to worry about, but it does have customers to worry about. We’re sure many of them are now shunning all its products.

‘Top Priority’

The web page and its Frequently Asked Questions section clearly aim to curtail that avoidant behavior, but we doubt they do so successfully. Boar’s Head uses up more pixels explaining what products aren’t recalled than are. And then there are the clichés. For example, one FAQ is “What is Boar’s Head doing to prevent this from happening again?” Answer, in part: “Your safety remains our top priority.” It rings hollow.

“We have partnered with the industry’s leading global food-safety experts and microbiologists to enhance, where needed, our procedures and practices,” the company says. Shouldn’t it already have been partnering with said experts?

You can see the consumer cynicism about these statements in the comments to the company’s Aug. 16 Facebook post. “Yeah so many violations scream that they care about their customer,” said one. “They killed people with their negligence,” said another.

Ongoing Probe

The situation really calls for, instead of the corporate-speak, a forthright acknowledgement that something is deeply wrong at the company, or at least this facility. It’s using the ongoing probe into the plant’s problems as an excuse not to be bolder.

Finally, Boar’s Head makes only one stab at an apology on the web page: “We have long held an unwavering commitment to keeping our foods safe with standards at or exceeding regulatory requirements. But, here, our best efforts failed, and we are deeply sorry.”

We fear many people will respond: “Baloney!”

Photo Credit: PRCG

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