How can food companies win back their customers’ trust?

Recently, we’ve read a lot about restaurants that have witnessed problems with their food. Chipotle dealt with the E. coli outbreak, and Blue Bell Ice Cream had its issues with Listeria. The good thing is these restaurants do not treat these problems as a threat; rather, they fix these issues and move on. They handle the outbreak and assure further that the food will be safe.

Investigate and act upon the findings

Every time a company has an outbreak, they need to figure out what exactly went wrong, whether it is a bad batch of ingredients or a problem with business procedure. Whatever the case, in the end, it is the company’s responsibility to make sure that no bacteria make it to your plate. They need to handle the outbreak and get rid of the problem. It is good for both the companies and the consumer that they decide to close the stores right away.

Companies have thankfully understood that acting quickly is in their best interests, too. They generally recall their products on their own to save themselves from stringent checking procedures. “You don’t wait for the government to require a response because the government isn’t responsible for your reputation,” said crisis management specialist Gene Grabowski.

For instance, Blue Bell didn’t act as quickly as it should have, whereas Chipotle responded righteously and quickly, taking action to close 43 stores. It also responded to customer complaints on social media. The FDA will also publicly announce recalls if it notices some major problems. These cases prove that if the companies act righteously, they can benefit and strengthen their reputation in the long run. Companies might or might not find the source, but their investigation shows they are at least trying.

Investigations take time, and the companies sometimes face a hard time looking for the food ingredient that exactly caused the problem. For example, Chipotle still has not figured out what exactly caused the E. coli outbreaks. Restaurant samples did not have E. coli. Sometimes, the report of outbreaks unfolds later, and information lags behind. If the companies can find the source, the next stage is easier, where companies try to fix the problem so it can’t happen again.

Focus on winning back the customer trust

Companies also win customer trust by changing the way they do things. They clean everything. Chipotle threw away all its food and sanitized every surface in the restaurant. The companies might need to completely reverse their philosophy. That is what Chipotle did. It used to order food from small suppliers. This made it difficult to ensure food safety. Now, they have a new strategy to minimize risk. Instead of switching suppliers, they’re now chopping, sanitizing, and DNA-testing vegetables at central prep kitchens. This will reduce the risk of contamination no matter where the veggies came from.

The next step that companies should take is to build the trust again. You cannot guarantee food safety. But companies should pay attention to the news and see how things are working after the outbreak. In the end, the customer is the king and means everything to your business.