Dive Brief:
- The Federal Center for Disease Control and Prevention said it received a dead bat from a consumer who claimed the animal was found inside a bag of Wal-Mart's Fresh Express Organic Marketside Spring Mix, according to Food Safety News.
- The CDC began an immediate investigation and recommended post-exposure rabies treatment for two people, though neither showed any signs of the disease.
- Fresh Express has recalled the product, which is sold by Wal-Mart stores in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia.
Dive Insight:
News of the dead bat found in a bag of Fresh Express salad has quickly made the rounds on social media, with thousands of people sharing, liking or commenting on the disturbing recall story.
Recalls caused by mislabeled allergens or dangerous bacteria like listeria and E. Coli rarely captivate consumer attention because they occur so regularly. Unfortunately for Fresh Express, this recall is very different. To be fair, little is known about how the bat got inside the salad, whether it came from the packaging facility or was intentionally put there somewhere else. The ick-factor of a dead animal contaminating a product is one that will stick with consumers for a long time, giving Fresh Express a reputation that could take a while to overcome.
Re-establishing credibility after a mistake is one thing, but saving face after an incident like this is something that’s going to need a savvy marketing team to handle. Manufacturers have many safeguards in place to prevent incidents like this, but food companies should strategize PR campaigns in case a recall of this scale occurs. It will be interesting to see if Fresh Express attempts to engage with its customers on social media in light of the news, as other companies have done, or if it will simply wait out the storm.