What’s the single most important aspect when it comes to preventing a localised crisis turning into a full-blown industry catastrophe?
That’s a question that’s on everyone’s minds at the moment, and it is something we are examining in depth in this week’s issue.
From the E. coli crisis to Unite’s protests and crucial changes to EU crop protection laws, the fresh produce industry has a huge amount on its plate right now.
Our series of special reports on these issues begins on p18 with a look at the shambolic way the E. coli outbreak has been handled by European authorities. Crisis management experts give their view on what can be learnt from the disaster, with better handling of the public information flow absolutely critical to avoiding the kind of haphazard finger pointing that has decimated the businesses of many innocent producers.
Information and two-way dialogue also seem to be conspicuous by their absence in Unite’s plan to take on labour practices in the fresh produce industry. As our feature on p22 shows, the level of industry irritation has been stoked in no small part by a feeling that the union has failed to engage and discuss the seasonal requirements that make the sector unique.
In these days of ever-more carefully stage-managed PR, it’s surprising to see this kind of thing happening on this scale. It might seem like everyone nowadays is a seasoned pro when it comes to public communications, but clearly there is still some way to go.