Throwback: History

Here is a little history lesson on Maple Leaf Foods:

• Founded in 1927
• Originally known as Canada Packers
• Was a merger of several major Toronto meat packers.
• Its main was business was pork.
• Helped Toronto earn its nickname "Hogtown"

Canad Packers plant in Toronto, 1950.

• Moved into other markets, producing brands such as Squirrel peanut butter and Black Diamond cheese.
• In 1975, it was listed as the 14th largest business in Canada.
• Was bought out by McCain Foods.

Stay tuned!

The Lessons Learned

Maple Leaf Foods has been all over the Canadian media. Their outbreak has been linked to 12 deaths in British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan.

What Maple Leaf Foods did to get out of this crisis:

• Use a prominent spokesperson - Once Maple Leaf Foods was linked to the outbreak, CEO Michael McCain wasted no time in getting out in front of the media and telling the company's side of the story.
• Publicly apologize - McCain, personally apologized for the tragic incidents in a video that was broadcasted on national television.
• Be Proactive - Once the link between Maple Leaf Foods and the listeria outbreak was confirmed, the company decided to recall all 220 products with packaged meats produced at the plant.
• Fix the problem - The company assembled experts to consult and advice the company.
• Use appropriate messaging - The company has released well thought-out messages to share to the public.
• Be Consistent - The company has been consistent in its messaging.
• Be open- The company is acknowledging the seriousness of the problem. The homepage of the Maple Leaf Foods website features up-to date information of company linked to the recall.

In a crisis, these 7 points is something any company can learn from.

Stay tuned!

The Apology

Admitting the error and pulling the products is the only way to respond in such a crisis. However, is it possible to prevent the outbreak from happening at all?

Apparently neither regulators nor Maple Leaf foods took notice of similar outbreak ten years ago in the U.S., wherein the regulations could have been changed to prevent a similar event. If this outbreak could have been prevented in the first place, this places a huge question of credibility on Maple Leaf Foods.

     

Was a good idea from CEO Michael McCain to post this apology? What other actions could Maple Leaf Foods take?

Stay tuned!

Listeria Outbreak

In my previous post, I explained that Maple Leaf Food had laid off thousands of employees. This huge release was not due to financial reasons within Maple Leaf Foods.

On August 23, a Maple Leaf Foods plant was confirmed as being involved in the outbreak of food-borne illness, caused by a bacteria Listeria. A day later, Maple Leaf had to recall of 23 of its products. This crisis costed them $20 million.

The company has been highly visible since the crisis. CEO, Michael McCain posted an apology on their web site.

With Listeria on the run, do you think Maple Leaf Foods can be forgiven?

Stay tuned!

Maple Leaf Job Cuts

Maple Leaf Foods employ over 21,000 Canadian citizens. Now, they are cutting 1,5550 jobs, closing plants in four provinces and recalling distribution. Maple Leaf Foods state they are in a three-year $560 million rebuilding plan. This plan expects to boost competitiveness and profits.The company said the plan will create 1,150 new jobs, but in reality they still have a net loss of 1,550 positions.

The loss in jobs was due to major crisis that Maple Leaf Foods had to deal with.

Stay tuned!

The Treatment of Farm Animals Will Make You Squeal

I first created this blog describing all the positive aspects of Maple Leaf Foods using information issued from Maple Leaf Foods websites.

Now I change directions in order to describe the harsh truth from the Listeria outbreak at Maple Leaf Foods. We all know that companies try their best to hide their mistakes. Mistakes which can ruin a company's reputation.

Journalist name Ziyaad Mia wrote an article exposing how animals are treated in the farms.

CTV aired an episode called "Food for Thought," which included undercover video of inhumane treatment to animals.  It is difficult to watch, but it raises an important question about the treatment of animals used for food in Canada.

The video shows pigs with open wounds living confined in tight stalls, piglets being castrated without any anesthetics and piglets killed with blunt force trauma. Slamming animal heads into concrete is not something we want to see and eat.

To read the full article here is the link:
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/ziyaad-mia/farm-animal-treatment-canada_b_2426439.html#slide=1939446

Now that you know what happens in Maple Leaf Farm meat processing plants, are you still going to purchase their products? Do you believe what they are the stating is the truth, or is something more happening?

Stay tuned to see more of the truth behind this company!

The Acclaimed Agribusiness

Agribusiness operations include hog production, rendering (converts animals waste into stable materials), and biodiesel (converting animal fat into oil).

Rothsay is Canada's largest recycler of animal products into value-added products. The company manufactures biodiesel for Canadian and international markets. Biodiesel is a clean burning, renewable fuel made from recycled vegetable oils, animal fats and cooking oils.

Maple Leaf Agri-Farms is where all the production takes place to support the needs of producing high quality products.

Stay tuned!