Who’s to Blame for Foodborne Illness? The Case of Fareway Foods

As we all know, outbreaks of foodborne illness have become newsroom fodder throughout the last few years. They make great headlines: Everyone eats, and most everyone eats prepared foods. It’s no wonder the public takes great interest in following these stories.

In this era of social media, when food safety scares spread fast, far, and wide, company officials must take care to handle a recall prudently. They need to assure their customers that they’re taking corrective measures to resolve the issue, to apologize for any negative health outcomes, and to agree to make necessary compensations if indeed they are at fault. Consumers aren’t interested in public debates about accountability: They want action and results. But sometimes companies forget this.

The Case Against Fareway Foods

As reported by CNN earlier in March, an investigation by the CDC revealed that the midwestern grocery chain, Fareway Foods, had unwittingly sold chicken salad tainted with salmonella from January 4 to February 9 at stores in Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, and South Dakota. So far, the outbreak has sickened at least 170 customers across seven states, with more than 60 hospitalized.

Fortunately, no deaths have been reported. Unfortunately, those infected suffered enough hardship to file lawsuits. For example, Jim Fox of Grimes, Iowa, was hospitalized with a severe case of diarrhea. He became so dehydrated he experienced significant heart issues and feared he would not survive. Now, understandably, he wants compensation for his lost wages and a hefty hospital bill.

Fox’s attorney, Steve Wandra, conjectures that either Fareway Foods or Triple T Specialty Meats, which produced and packaged the chicken salad, are to blame and should be held accountable. "We have filed suit on behalf of four people so far,” he said. “We expect there will be others." His expectations were correct: The outbreak also sparked lawsuits in Illinois and South Dakota.

Playing the Blame Game

So how well did Fareway officials respond to the lawsuit? In a statement to the press, Vice President Garrett Piklap said, “By the time the advisory was issued, Fareway had already voluntarily pulled the product. This product has not been sold at any Fareway location since February 9, 2018, and will not be sold again at any Fareway until we are certain the problem has unquestionably been resolved." So far, so good. He added, however, that “the recall was issued to the product producer and packager, Triple T Specialty Meats, Inc. – not Fareway.”

While that may be an important point to bring up in the courtroom, finger-pointing is best left there, outside the view of the public eye. In their defense, Triple T Specialty Meats Executive Director Jolene Heikens countered that the FDA recently tested her facility for salmonella and listeria, and all results came back negative. She conjectures that the contamination must have occurred en route to the stores and not at its facility. Again, a good point for lawyers to make, but it’s still just passing the buck as far as customers are concerned.

To put it bluntly, neither company will gain consumer confidence by trying to earn points with the judge on a public platform. The retailer blames the processor. The processor blames the distributor. The “who” may be important for company officials, but asking “why” is imperative for customers.

Prevent Bad Press With Digital Food Safety Solutions

The PR bottom line is important. Yes, compensation costs hurt, but sometimes not as badly as a tarnished reputation in the long run. Regardless of who is at fault, being accused of a foodborne illness is damaging enough without duking it out in the press and blaming others. Sometimes publicity really is just…bad.

Even if neglect lies with the producer or distributor, food retailers can take precautions to help prevent foodborne illness. Lack of visibility and traceability throughout the entire food processing chain contributed to the salmonella outbreak in Fareway’s grocery stores, highlighting the importance of and need for a robust food safety plan. Adopting a digital food safety solution can protect operators from these types of events, giving visibility to otherwise hidden food safety violations.

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