A new food safety crisis involving Taco Bell offers an important reminder for every organization facing a serious reputational threat: when people are getting sick, this is not the time for self-congratulation. It is the time for empathy, accountability, and action.
According to reports from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), more than 1,644 cases (as of today) of cyclosporiasis have been linked to shredded iceberg lettuce served at certain Taco Bell locations in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and West Virginia. Ninety-four people have reportedly been hospitalized. Federal investigators traced the lettuce to a single supplier in Mexico.
As part of its response, Taco Bell stated that it had taken immediate action to remove potentially affected lettuce from restaurants. That is exactly the type of decisive operational response stakeholders expect during a crisis. However, the company also said it was "proud to have consistently acted quickly and proactively to protect our guests."
From a media training and crisis communications perspective, that sentence isn’t great.
Read the Room
Whenever customers become ill, are injured, lose money, or experience hardship because of a situation involving your organization, stakeholders are not looking for a victory lap. They are looking for concern, compassion, and reassurance.
A company may very well have acted quickly. It may have followed procedures perfectly. It may have done everything regulators expected.
But when hundreds or thousands of people have been affected, telling the public how proud you are of your response can sound a little tone-deaf.
The public's first question is not:
"How well did the company handle this?"
Their first question is:
"Are people okay?"
A Better Communications Approach
In situations like this, the most effective messaging sequence is usually:
Express concern for those affected.
Acknowledge the seriousness of the situation.
Explain what actions are being taken.
Commit to transparency and ongoing cooperation.
Thank customers and stakeholders for their patience.
Notice what's missing from that list: self-praise.
When an organization highlights its own performance too early, it risks shifting the focus away from affected individuals and toward itself. That can create unnecessary criticism and distract from the actions being taken to address the problem.
Empathy Before Reputation
One of the biggest mistakes leaders make during a crisis is worrying about reputation before demonstrating empathy.
However, the fastest way to protect a reputation is often to focus on the people who have been impacted.
Consider the difference between these two approaches; which message is more effective?
Message #1:
"We're proud of how quickly we responded to this situation."
Message #2:
"We're deeply concerned about those who have become ill. We are working closely with health officials, removing potentially affected products, and doing everything possible to protect our customers."
Both statements communicate action. Only one puts affected individuals first.
What Media Trained Leaders Understand
Experienced spokespersons know that every crisis message is judged through an emotional lens. In the battle between facts and emotion, emotion is going to win every time.
During a foodborne illness outbreak, customers, regulators, the media and elected officials are listening for signs that the organization understands the gravity of the situation.
Messages that appear defensive, congratulatory, or self-focused can quickly become news stories themselves.
The most effective leaders demonstrate three things:
Empathy
Accountability
Commitment to action
Recognition for a well-managed response can come later—from regulators, customers, or independent observers.
It should not come first from the organization itself.
The Big Lesson
In a crisis, being proud of your response may be understandable internally. Employees may have worked around the clock. Teams may have acted quickly and responsibly.
But public messages shouldn’t be about what the company feels about itself.
The messages need to be about concern and accountability.
When illness, injury, or public concern is involved, the safest communications rule is simple:
Show empathy first. Explain your actions second. Save the self-congratulations for another day.
