Chang Farm, River Road, Whatley, MA is issuing a voluntary recall of Soy Bean Sprouts produced by Chang Farms, with the specific sell-by date of July 17, 2009 because of the possible presence of Listeria monocytogenes (L. Monocytogenes) contamination. Listeria monocytogenes, an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Although healthy individuals may suffer only short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headaches, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea, Listeria infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women.
Does “healthy individuals may suffer only short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headaches, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea” make you feel a whole lot better?
There are four ways to be perceived as dishonest – by an act of commission (e.g., black is white), act of omission (“oh yeah, I forgot to tell you that our poker game was at a strip club”), by exaggeration (e.g., we can beat anyone’s prices) and by understatement. The latter is what Chang Farms attempted above, whether intentionally or inadvertently. All they had to do to change the statement and avoid the problem was to add one word and drop one word:
“Even healthy individuals may suffer short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headaches, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea.”
While doing the right thing in quickly issuing a recall and press release, Chang Farms’ poor choice of words makes their crisis management efforts far less effective.
JB
Jonathan Bernstein
https://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/