Case Study: Taco Bell & E.coli Outbreak

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Case Study: Taco Bell & E.coli Outbreak
           Public Relations Writing

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Problem
       A recent business problem that has flooded the mainstream public eye is the Taco Bell

E.coli outbreak. According to the CDC, lettuce from Taco Bell restaurants was the cause of E.coli

related illnesses reported in 67 people. The breakout caused over 90 Taco Bell eateries to close

temporarily. The chain reported green onions to be the culprit and took them off the menu. Taco

Bell eateries have reopened but the fast food chain remains the topic of conversation. This

unfortunate incident became joke material for late night TV show hosts.

"By the way, Taco Bell has a new menu item its chicken con E.Coli," said David Letterman on a

Late Show episode.” (49ABCNews.com) Taco Bell may have suffered a damaging hit to the

restaurant chain’s reputation. The important question is will they loss of customers as well?

        Escherichia coli known as E.coli are bacteria that can live in the intestines of humans and

animals. The bacteria have been known to cause severe abdominal cramps, diarrhea, and

dehydration and in some cases death has resulted. The public has been well informed that E.coli

can be passed through the handling and eating of uncooked, raw meat or milk. There has been a

E.coli breakout due to farm produce of which the public may not have been aware. According to

the CDC “federal health officials have dealt with five multi-state outbreaks of produce-related

illnesses in the last four months, including a spinach-caused E. coli outbreak that killed three and

sickened more than 200 in September, and two tomato-caused salmonella outbreaks that made

about 400 people ill in October and November.” (Starnewsonline.com) The nation is now finding

that E.coli can also be spread to the produce we eat while it’s being grown. The fruits and

vegetables can be contaminated by coming in contact with contaminated animal fertilizer, thus

passing on the deadly bacteria to the dinners at the local fast food chain.

        Similar embarrassing incidents occurred to other food chains in the past and it remained

in the news for several months afterwards. Taco Bell executives may be worried about the effect

this incident will have on their image, which calls for issue and reputation management on the

part of the Taco Bell Franchise.

Issue/reputation Management

        In the aftermath of this unfortunate event, the objective of the company’s public relations

team is to ease the minds of their customers and to restore a positive public image, thus a little

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damage control is necessary. After consulting the experts, Taco Bell may find that the strategies

necessary to obtain their goal are the Informative strategy as well as the cooperative problem –

solving strategy. The informative approach is necessary because an E.coli outbreak is

unforeseen to the eyes of everyone. The franchise as well as the public isn’t aware of the

presence of the harmful bacteria until it has already taken affect, but an informed nation is better

equipped to handle the necessary precautions that should be taken on the behave of the

franchise as well as the consumers. This issue is not just a problem that must be handled by

Taco Bell but rather an issue that needs attention from everyone. One step in the right direction

that has already been taken is an information hotline setup by Taco Bell in the aftermath of the

outbreak. 1-800-tacobell is an automated telephone line that explains the E.coli breakout to

anyone who calls. The phone line also lists the symptoms caused by E.coli and lists

recommended actions that should be taken if one might have such symptoms. This is an effort on

the part of Taco Bell to inform the public and rectify the issue. This act can be characterized as an

“open exchange of information to establish a common definition of the problem, common goals

and sharing of positions and responsibilities.” (K.P. Werder)

        Taco Bell’s image is in need of some polishing. In light of the E.coli outbreak, Taco Bell

became high interest news material. They continued to make headlines, even a few weeks after

the incident. Taco Bell even hit David Letterman’s Top Ten List stating, “Questions you should

ask yourself before eating at Taco Bell.” When CNN Anchor Jeanie Mose asked people if they

would eat at a Taco Bell? Three out of five people said “No”. This means bad news for Taco Bell;

something needs to be done.

Solutions

        Taco Bell needed a plan of action to restore the company’s image to circumvent loss of

customers. A suggested course of action for Taco Bell is not to go on the defensive, but to aim

there aggression where it belongs, at the E.coli. A proactive effort would have been for Taco

Bell’s executives to join the fight in making food safer for the public to consume. One fighter that

has already joined the cause was New York State Senator Charles Schumer. Since Taco Bell’s

outbreak Senator Schumer has called upon the food and drug administration to bring about

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“produce-tracing measures” to protect the nation against unforeseeable bacteria. (1010wins.com)

        Taco Bell is advised to publicly take a position on the issue and join in on the fight. Along

with the cause, Taco Bell could donate funds to research organizations that study E.coli in hopes

of coming up with technology that can defeat this disastrous bacteria that threatens the health of

numerous people. Another suggestion would be for Taco Bell to team up with other businesses

and/or non-profit organizations to develop an awareness campaign. Together businesses could

circulate information discussing E.coli, the causes, how it spreads, symptoms, treatments and

scientific possibilities of eliminating the threat all-together. In addition the company could air

public service announcements or even host fundraisers to raise money for E.coli research.

 By reacting this way, Taco Bell would have strengthened their image in the eyes of consumers.

They would have let the public know that this breakout wasn’t just an accident on the part of the

franchise, but rather an unfortunate event under which they had no control, but in lieu of the

incident are taking a stand and trying to help.

Page Principles

        If Taco Bell follows this course of action they will be in good standing concerning the core

values of public relations, the first one being” tell the truth”. Immediately after news of the

breakout was heard, Taco Bell issued a press release stating:

                 “December 4, 2006 -- Greg Creed, Taco Bell president said, "As soon as we

                 learned of an E.coli issue, we immediately began working with state and county

                 health officials to assist in their investigation. As a precautionary measure, we

                 voluntarily closed one restaurant in Middlesex County, New Jersey, four in

                 Suffolk County, New York and four in Nassau County, New York. As an extra

                 precaution, we are in the process of sanitizing these isolated restaurants and

                 replacing all the food ingredients before reopening these nine restaurants. We

                 are unsure what has occurred, but health officials have indicated that there is no

                 immediate threat and whatever may have occurred has most likely passed

                 through the system since there have been no new cases since November 29.

                 Nothing is more important to us than the health and safety of our customers and

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                 employees. We are obviously very concerned about the well-being of all those

                 who have been affected by this incident and will continue to work closely with

                 health authorities to get to the root cause of the issue." (Tacobell.com)

Since the incident, Taco Bell continued to update with news releases. Seven releases were

posted on the company’s website. By being honest with the public, the company reassured it’s

consumers that Taco Bell is an upstanding establishment whose main priority is safety.The

second Principle addressed through Taco Bell’s PR team is “prove it with action”. Taco Bell’s

actions and the suggested plan of action both sent a message to the public, revealing that Taco

Bell really does care for its customers. Many establishments hide behind denial and lies in an

attempt to avoid public confrontation in an issue like this one, but Taco Bell as been open and

upfront from the beginning and took action to prove it. Taco Bell aimed to become a safe and

enjoyable eating experience once again, even closing some locations where there might have

been contamination, ensuring the public’s safety.

        The next steps taken on the part of the franchise were “listen to the customer” and

“manage for tomorrow”. These two principles were important to restore the company’s image in

the eyes of the consumers. Customer feedback was crucial in meeting their needs. After an

incident such as this, people were unsure and had questions that need to be answered. Taco

Bell has taken action concerning this incident by enabling a hotline to inform the pubic and

answer questions. Managing for tomorrow is also important. Taco Bell needs to get back on the

right track after this outbreak. They will want to continue business as usual and gain back their

loyal customers.

        This particular case has been “conducted as if the entire company depends on it”. This

next principle deals with the entire issue management. This is a serious matter for Taco Bell and

if not handled properly, the damaging affects could have been fatal to the company. The key was

to not loose Taco Bell’s faithful customers. This also involves the next principle: “realize that the

true character of a company is expressed by its people”. It is important that Taco Bell remains

professional during this process. The President’s message was important because it expressed

the attitude of the franchise.

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        The last principle is good advice to any PR team, “remain calm, patient and good

humored”. Taco Bell handled the incident wisely and were as good humored as the situation

would allow. This issue will continue to be talked about, make headlines, and remain the butt of a

few jokes for a little while, but hopefully the chatter will die down and the franchise will be able to

recover fully. This particular case is a good example of a business problem, the way it played out

in the public eye, how it was handled, the possible courses of action, and how the core values are

applied in a situation such as this. This example has made for an interesting case study.

                                             Works Cited

Schumer Takes Action After Taco Bell E.Coli Scare. Retrieved December 20, 2006, from 1010 Wins Web
       site: http://www.1010wins.com/pages/148818.php?contentType=4&contentId=259575

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Tobbe, Mike (2006). CDC: Taco Bell E. coli outbreak unremarkable. Retrieved December 20, 2006, from
        Starnewsonline.com Web site:
        http://www.wilmingtonstar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061215/NEWS/612150337/-1/State

(2006, december 4). Our Company:Press releases. Retrieved December 20, 2006, from Tacobell Web site:
         http://www.tacobell.com/

(2006). Taco Bell e.Coli outbreak is no laughing matter; or is it?. Retrieved December 20, 2006, from
         49news Web site:
         http://www.49abcnews.com/news/2006/dec/18/taco_bell_ecoli_outbreak_no_laughing_matter_or_
         it/#download-video