Managing a Severe Food Safety Crisis Affecting Major Restaurant Chains

Challenge

A prominent supplier faced a critical reputational emergency over a food safety issue affecting restaurants. The incident posed a serious public health risk, attracted intense media scrutiny, and raised the potential for regulatory and legal consequences. The challenge was to manage communications swiftly and transparently while protecting the supplier’s reputation and maintaining confidence among customers and partners.

Solution

Alder provided immediate, strategic support to guide the client through this high-pressure situation:

- Delivered rapid advice on tone and messaging for all external and internal communications
- Drafted legally compliant holding statements for media, regulators, and affected partners
- Coordinated closely with legal and operational teams to align communications with food safety protocols
- Managed national media interest, including hostile questions from journalists
- Advised leadership on interview preparation and crisis response protocols
- Developed a clear plan for ongoing stakeholder engagement to maintain trust

Outcome

Alder's advice helped the client navigate a serious food safety incident with confidence, calm and clarity:

- Executed a successful product withdrawal and recall without escalation into a prolonged media crisis
- Maintained trust among restaurant partners and key stakeholders through transparent, consistent messaging
- Protected the organisation’s reputation while meeting all compliance obligations