IN THE TRENCHES: PMA and other groups step up in time of crisis
IN THE TRENCHES: PMA and other groups step up in time of crisis
Which unexpected produce problems will develop during the night while you are fast asleep? What do you plan to do if and when a major crisis hits the produce industry? What if it involves your product? Whatever lies ahead could be very serious, overwhelming and even devastating to your business.
In 1894 and 1895, there were back-to-back freezes in Florida that virtually wiped out entire citrus crops. Unfortunately, similar brutal weather conditions still plague the produce industry.
On Nov. 9, 1959, the weed killer AZT that was found to cause cancer in rats contaminated some cranberry bogs in Oregon and Washington. The scare forced retail outlets and restaurants to stop buying the fruit.
The Medfly larvae began popping up in California in 1981 making it a national problem.
In 1984, citrus canker was discovered in Florida orchards. The USDA declared Florida a disaster area.
Illnesses from tainted fruit occurred in five U.S. states and Canada in 1985 that put watermelon shipments at a standstill.
In February 1989, Alar, a chemical sprayed on apples to regulate growth, was highlighted on CBS's "60 Minutes." The scare created consumer and industry chaos that cost apple growers millions of dollars in losses.
A Salmonella outbreak traced back to cantaloupes appeared in 1991. It forced store clerks and consumers to wash melons before cutting them.
These are just a few examples of serious situations that suddenly struck the produce industry. These types of problems give no warnings or signals when they are ready to burst. They just quietly lie in wait ready to sneak up for a surprise attack.
Most of us feel that when major problems take place, we are capable of handling them on our own. Some people may even think a problem will go unnoticed while they try to rectify it. Guess again.
People who face a major industry crisis may feel they can easily handle such challenges by simply making hasty decisions without a prepared plan. However, as the crisis branches out at a very rapid pace, it could become overwhelming in its path and blindly affect other areas of the business. I vividly remember the Alar scare in 1989 that grew into an enormous situation overnight. We spent countless hours and resources tracing apple suppliers, sending daily instructions to stores and trying to satisfy our customers' food-safety concerns. We were so hung up on the Alar task that it drew us away from focusing on sales.
The produce business is sometimes like an NFL football game. Every play is a strategy to move the ball forward and eventually get into the end zone. Touchdowns are targets that we set out to accomplish. Many times, a surprisingly hard tackle will injure a star player. When this occurs, it could instantly turn a strong competing team into a weak loser.
Last month, the produce industry experienced one of those unexpected hard tackles that snuck up and threw it to the ground for a loss of yardage on the play. Once again, like some of the past examples, the produce industry was placed into a crisis mode. This time it was an E. coli outbreak involving spinach.
Once the spinach problem reached the news media, it became a tremendous worldwide calamity. When daily television broadcasts mapped outbreak areas and released illness counts, the subject became the topic of discussion everywhere. The matter kept expanding and caused consumers to question the safety of other fresh fruits and vegetables.
In my role as a consultant, I began trying to answer questions from my own clients about the outbreak. Most were in the dark when this nightmare hit, and I was no exception. We needed information and direction, but most of all we needed help - fast.
Then, like a flash of lightening, trade associations like the Produce Marketing Association, the United Fresh Produce Association, Western Growers Association and others came to the rescue.
During the crisis, these groups worked around the clock keeping us informed through member e-mail bulletins, meetings, conference calls, letters and special alerts. They were also in constant contact with the media as well as state and federal regulators. PMA, United, WGA and others were the voice we needed to speak for the entire produce industry.
Personally, I wouldn't have been as informed and constantly updated on the spinach crisis had I not been a member of the PMA. Having this fine organization participate in crucial meetings and other vital activities allowed my business to continue while PMA confronted the situation for us.
If your company is not a member of the Produce Marketing Association, I urge you to literally drop what you're doing and join this outstanding organization right now. Two of the more important benefits the PMA offers are crisis communications and crisis management, which are critical to its members. Many companies don't think they'll ever have to deal with a crisis, but eventually they will. Preparing for it ahead of time could help you survive. PMA has superior programs to help. Its Food Safety Response Package is one of them, and can be found at www.pma.com/estore.
In 1894 and 1895, there were back-to-back freezes in Florida that virtually wiped out entire citrus crops. Unfortunately, similar brutal weather conditions still plague the produce industry.
On Nov. 9, 1959, the weed killer AZT that was found to cause cancer in rats contaminated some cranberry bogs in Oregon and Washington. The scare forced retail outlets and restaurants to stop buying the fruit.
The Medfly larvae began popping up in California in 1981 making it a national problem.
In 1984, citrus canker was discovered in Florida orchards. The USDA declared Florida a disaster area.
Illnesses from tainted fruit occurred in five U.S. states and Canada in 1985 that put watermelon shipments at a standstill.
In February 1989, Alar, a chemical sprayed on apples to regulate growth, was highlighted on CBS's "60 Minutes." The scare created consumer and industry chaos that cost apple growers millions of dollars in losses.
A Salmonella outbreak traced back to cantaloupes appeared in 1991. It forced store clerks and consumers to wash melons before cutting them.
These are just a few examples of serious situations that suddenly struck the produce industry. These types of problems give no warnings or signals when they are ready to burst. They just quietly lie in wait ready to sneak up for a surprise attack.
Most of us feel that when major problems take place, we are capable of handling them on our own. Some people may even think a problem will go unnoticed while they try to rectify it. Guess again.
People who face a major industry crisis may feel they can easily handle such challenges by simply making hasty decisions without a prepared plan. However, as the crisis branches out at a very rapid pace, it could become overwhelming in its path and blindly affect other areas of the business. I vividly remember the Alar scare in 1989 that grew into an enormous situation overnight. We spent countless hours and resources tracing apple suppliers, sending daily instructions to stores and trying to satisfy our customers' food-safety concerns. We were so hung up on the Alar task that it drew us away from focusing on sales.
The produce business is sometimes like an NFL football game. Every play is a strategy to move the ball forward and eventually get into the end zone. Touchdowns are targets that we set out to accomplish. Many times, a surprisingly hard tackle will injure a star player. When this occurs, it could instantly turn a strong competing team into a weak loser.
Last month, the produce industry experienced one of those unexpected hard tackles that snuck up and threw it to the ground for a loss of yardage on the play. Once again, like some of the past examples, the produce industry was placed into a crisis mode. This time it was an E. coli outbreak involving spinach.
Once the spinach problem reached the news media, it became a tremendous worldwide calamity. When daily television broadcasts mapped outbreak areas and released illness counts, the subject became the topic of discussion everywhere. The matter kept expanding and caused consumers to question the safety of other fresh fruits and vegetables.
In my role as a consultant, I began trying to answer questions from my own clients about the outbreak. Most were in the dark when this nightmare hit, and I was no exception. We needed information and direction, but most of all we needed help - fast.
Then, like a flash of lightening, trade associations like the Produce Marketing Association, the United Fresh Produce Association, Western Growers Association and others came to the rescue.
During the crisis, these groups worked around the clock keeping us informed through member e-mail bulletins, meetings, conference calls, letters and special alerts. They were also in constant contact with the media as well as state and federal regulators. PMA, United, WGA and others were the voice we needed to speak for the entire produce industry.
Personally, I wouldn't have been as informed and constantly updated on the spinach crisis had I not been a member of the PMA. Having this fine organization participate in crucial meetings and other vital activities allowed my business to continue while PMA confronted the situation for us.
If your company is not a member of the Produce Marketing Association, I urge you to literally drop what you're doing and join this outstanding organization right now. Two of the more important benefits the PMA offers are crisis communications and crisis management, which are critical to its members. Many companies don't think they'll ever have to deal with a crisis, but eventually they will. Preparing for it ahead of time could help you survive. PMA has superior programs to help. Its Food Safety Response Package is one of them, and can be found at www.pma.com/estore.
