How To Respond To An Outbreak
May 1, 2007 
At the hearing in Oakland, CA, in late March to assess food safety challenges in the wake of last fall’s E. coli outbreak on spinach that killed three people, FDA’s director of food safety, David Acheson, essentially warned people to be ready. “Is the food supply any safer today than it was in September? No, I don’t believe it is. We are looking at a distinct possibility of an outbreak on leafy greens in 2007,” he said. “I hope not, but I am a pragmatist. I would be fooling consumers if I said, ‘The problem’s solved, don’t worry.'”
In light of Acheson’s comments, only a fool would assume there won’t be problems in the future. And just because the problems don’t originate at your farm, it doesn’t mean you won’t be affected. Consider the plight of the spinach growers, not just in California, but all over the country. The reverberations were felt loud and clear 3,000 miles away, says Bill Hlubik, an agricultural agent and professor at Rutgers University Cooperative Extension in New Jersey.
Hlubik, who serves as executive producer of a local TV program on farming and often advises growers on dealing with the media, says growers everywhere are going to be sought after by media representatives in such a situation, and they need to be prepared. It doesn’t pay to duck the media because it looks like growers have something to hide. If you’re uncomfortable, contact your local Cooperative Extension office, as they’re usually used to dealing with the media, says Hlubik. Your local Farm Bureau office might also be of assistance, he says.
In any case, it’s extremely important that growers should seize the opportunity to get their message across that the food they produce is safe and healthy. It could be critical to the future of your business. Here are some tips from Hlubik to keep in mind when dealing with the media.
Be Prepared — Do your homework, and gather as much information as possible so you can be comfortably familiar with the topic at hand. One good strategy is to ask reporters for their deadline, then ask what specific questions they want answered, and then call them back. “To be totally unprepared is not a good thing,” says Hlubik. “The interview can come off in a very negative fashion.”
Stay On Point — Come up with a few points you want to make, and be sure to get them across. Be direct, be specific, and repeat for emphasis. Think about how brief the average TV news segment is. Even if it’s a print interview, reporters generally aren’t likely to use more than a few of your statements. “Think in terms of sound bites, quotes,” says Hlubik. “Project confidence, honesty, and respect.”
Be Positive — This is an area in which many growers struggle, says Hlubik, which is surprising because in growing such healthful products, they have a great message. The problem is that many growers think consumers will feel sorry for them if there’s a problem, but consumers generally do not. For example, after the spinach outbreak one New Jersey grower complained to a reporter how it wasn’t fair that he was being hurt. “I’ve never seen that strategy work, because consumers don’t empathize with you,” he says. “They don’t care about you, the grower; they care about their kids.”
Use Emotion — Just because consumers don’t care about you doesn’t mean they are unfeeling. Appeal to those emotions, says Hlubik, and be specific. For instance, a clip showing a grower drinking the irrigation water he uses on his crops is a very powerful image, and probably says more to consumers about how confident he is about the safety of his produce than any words possibly could.
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