Maple Leaf Foods, How They Survived Change

1. Maple Leaf Foods – How theythey survived change
Maple Leaf Foods – How survived change
In 2008, there was a listeria bacteria outbreak linked to cold cuts from the
Maple Leaf Foods plant in Toronto, Ontario which claimed lives and caused
several more to be seriously ill. The way that CEO Michael McCain dealt with
this situation is how Maple Leaf Foods has been able to survive. The first
main reason was communication. McCain made himself immediately
available to the media in order to address the Canadian public about the
situation. He explained what had happened, and what the company was doing
about it by recalling their products and sanitizing the plant the outbreak was
linked to. He showed honesty and empathy to those affected. By opening the
lines of communication, he was able to put a face to the company.
www.mapleleaffoods.com
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/st
ory/2012/10/08/f-xl-foods-maple-
leaf-recall-crisi-management.html COMMUNICATION

2. www.cbc.ca
The second reason why Maple Leaf Foods has survived change after the listeria
outbreak of 2008 is that they were accountable and showed transparency throughout
the crisis. Michael McCain went in front of the camera and released a commercial
outlining what had happened, but beyond that, he apologized and showed sincere
concern to those affected by the loss of lives and illnesses. Most companies may have
run from the admittance of fault in this type of situation, but Maple Leaf Foods and
Michael McCain himself wanted to show that they were accountable and that they
weren’t going to hide from the bad publicity. Instead, I think this ended up being good
publicity for the organization, showing that they were willing to admit failure and to try
and gain back the confidence and trust of their customers.
ACCOUNTABILITY/TRANSPARANCY

3. businessreviewcanada.ca
The third reason why Maple Leaf Foods has had success through change is the
leadership that CEO Michael McCain showed throughout the listeria crisis. He
showed this in many ways, as mentioned in the previous slides, using his
communication skills, being accountable, and showing transparency and empathy, he
was able to gain back public trust and I’m sure, respect among his employees.
Shortly after the crisis, he was named CEO of the year. He was honest, open and
caring which showed the real human side to the organization. It takes a great leader
to admit to mistakes and to persevere during times of extreme crisis.
LEADERSHIP