Jenny and Jeff welcome a food safety expert to analyze a salmonella outbreak linked to onions from a California supplier that sickened hundreds of people across several states. Dr. Jennifer McEntire, Vice President of Food Safety at United Fresh Produce Association, offers some perspective on this far reaching recall that impacted all 50 states. Dr. McEntire explains how this onion recall raised the attention of the food industry, as well as how an outbreak investigation unfolds. This episode also features a discussion on how salmonella can be found in pet foods.  Pet industry veteran Vicki Ford talks to Jenny and Jeff about what pet owners should know to keep their furry friends safe.

Breaking Bad News

August 2020 Recall of the Month-Salmonella in Produce and Pet Food

In this unusual episode of Breaking Bad News, you’ll learn more about head meat and cheese than you probably ever wanted from hosts Jeff Hahn and Jenny Gregorcyk. But that’s not all. The recall of more 38,000 lbs of boneless beef head meat products from Canada brings up the importance of the complex inspection process to keep imported food safe in the United States. July 2020 was a surprisingly slow month with food recalls. Jenny and Jeff discuss why a head meat recall would garner so much media attention and analyze how the company communicated the recall.  

July 2020 Recall of the Month-Head Cheese and Import Inspections

Is it mere coincidence that this podcast discussion would center on two things that often go together, salty snacks and marijuana?  Actually, hosts Jeff Hahn and Jenny Gregorcyk focus on some recent food trends during the COVID-19 pandemic as consumers turn more to snack and processed foods. That discussion leads into Jenny revealing the May Recall of the Month, the first time a marijuana product has been discussed on Breaking Bad News. Speaking of that title, Jeff and Jenny talk about how Jeff's crisis communication playbook has finally arrived from the printer and how listeners can get a copy of Breaking Bad News by only paying for shipping.

May 2020 Recall of the Month-Salty Snacks and Marijuana

The Cops TV show song "Bad Boys" is the theme of this special edition of Breaking Bad News as Jeff quizzes Jenny on some recent big name brands that were hit with food safety fines. The two hosts also play "Monday Morning Quarterback" by going back and re-crafting the company's statements using a message development formula in Jeff's new crisis communication book.

Bad Boys-Monday Morning Quarterbacking Recent Food Safety Fines

What impact has the COVID-19 pandemic had on the number of U.S. Food recalls? The Apron Food PR research team looked into that question. In this "Recall of the Month" episode of Breaking Bad News, hosts Jenny Gregorcyk and Jeff Hahn discuss the possible reasons why food recalls have dropped during the recent crisis. Jenny also reveals her selection for the April Recall of the Month, which involves an industry getting a great deal of attention during the pandemic, meat processing.

Coronavirus Food Recall Impact Research-April 2020 Recall of the Month

Jeff and Jenny are podcasting from their homes to comply with "Stay at Home" orders and it gives them a chance to analyze the impact of the health crisis on the grocery and food service industries. Jenny also unveils her Recall of the Month selection. She and Jeff take a look at how a well known brand dealt with a flurry of bad press.  

Quarantine Quandary for Food Businesses-March 2020 Recall of the Month

A pet food giant is featured in this Recall of the Month edition of Breaking Bad News. Before hosts Jenny Gregorcyk and Jeff Hahn reveal the top February food recall, they take a look back at who many believe is the father of today’s food safety laws. Dr. Harvey Washington Wiley became the first USDA Commissioner after his high profile food experiments in the early 20th Century

February Recall of the Month, Poison Squad Food Safety Experiments

In this special edition of Breaking Bad News, hosts Jenny Gregorcyk and Jeff Hahn take a break from our regular Recall of the Month discussion to dive into a really interesting trend report Apron Food PR just released called the Food Forecast. The Apron Food PR strategy team identified two big trends for this year:  "better for you" and "better for the planet." Jenny and Jeff discuss the big focus on health and wellness, as well as how consumers care a lot about their own personal environmental impact.    

Apron Food Forecast: Top Food Trends of 2020

In this episode, host Jeff Hahn explores one of the most overused things that leaders communicate in a crisis, the apology. Jeff wraps up his series on crisis messaging with guest co-host Russ Rhea with an in-depth look at the “mortification strategy” in image restoration. You’ll hear both good and bad examples of apologies in crisis situations including Chef Mario Batali, McDonalds and KFC. Jeff will also reveal the eight characteristics of a good apology and the best timing to make an apology.

Crisis Messaging Part III-The Apology Trail

   McDonald's got into hot water with vegetarians when it was revealed that its fries were flavored with beef tallow. That’s one of the case studies crisis communication expert Jeff Hahn applies to the image repair theory in this episode of Breaking Bad News.  Jeff continues his discussion with guest host Russ Rhea on crisis messaging. The two cover in detail a powerful crisis communication model developed by a scholar that can guide the response in all types of events.  

Crisis Messaging Part 2-Image Repair Theory

 Messaging is critical to managing the narrative in the news space when facing a crisis. In this episode of Breaking Bad News, crisis communication expert Jeff Hahn and guest host Russ Rhea break down the first of three models used to frame the message in a crisis. Jeff explains how these models provide a road map to get through tricky situations and simplify a complex process. 

Crisis Messaging Part 1-Determining Tone

It’s a special episode of Breaking Bad News as host Jeff Hahn welcomes crisis communications and reputation management expert Bill Coletti. Jeff talks to Bill about his recent book, Critical Moments, where he reveals how organizations can build reputational excellence by meeting the needs and expectations of the public. Jeff and Bill also look in depth at a high-profile crisis communications case study, the food allergy death of a British teenager after eating a birthday meal at a popular UK burger chain. How was the company’s response? The two crisis experts give their assessment.  

Crisis tactics with reputation management expert Bill Coletti

How to deal with negative reviews that challenge a restaurant's reputation is the big focus in this episode as Host Jeff Hahn welcomes Restauranteur Chris Watkins.  In addition to covering techniques to respond to negative online reviews by unreasonable customers, Jeff and Chris talk about how to develop a culture of service inside a restaurant.

Responding to Negative Restaurant Yelp Reviews

Jeff Hahn’s guest co-host in this episode to reveal the latest “Recall of the Month” is fellow crisis communication guru, Libba Letton. In addition to discussing what caused a recent recall involving American Beef Packers, Jeff and Libba cover the different classes of food recalls and government requirements on when to issue a press release. This episode wraps up with Jeff testing Libba’s knowledge of crisis communication with a series of questions that would make most people cry.

American Beef Packers Recall / Nexus of Food and News Making

In this episode of Breaking Bad News, crisis communication expert Jeff Hahn and guest host Laura Zappi look back on the notable food recalls in July 2019. But only one can be proclaimed the "Recall of the Month." Jeff and Laura also unravel the confusion over "Best if Used By" food labels. Are foods still safe to eat after its "sell by" or "use before" date? This topic came up following Jeff’s recent war with the office refrigerator.

Taco Seasoning Recall and "Best if Used By" Food Labels

Apron Food & Beverage Communications podcast about food brands, recalls, withdrawals, alerts and issues, and the way they’re treated in the press and on social media.

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