Preparing Communications Before a Crisis; Beth Atkinson Discusses Training, Misconceptions, and More

DALLAS, TX - We in fresh know too well that a food safety issue can bring everything to a halt.

Beth Atkinson, President and Owner of Elephant House Public Relations, is familiar with both the industry and consumers' perceptions of it, and is working to bridge the communication gap before it is needed most.

In an industry as familiar with crisis as ours, what have you found to be the biggest misconception suppliers have about who crisis communications planning is for?

"The biggest misconception is that crisis communications planning is only for large, consumer-facing brands or companies that have already experienced a crisis. In reality, a food safety issue, recall, weather event, labor issue, or facility incident can happen to any supplier at any time, regardless of size. For suppliers, crisis planning is not just about protecting their own company. It directly impacts their retail partners."

You shared an interesting strategy with me—that you bring a former CNN reporter into your crisis training. What might surprise suppliers most about the gaps this can reveal in preparation?

"What surprises executives most is that reporters are not necessarily asking unfair or 'gotcha' questions, but direct, layered, and sometimes uncomfortable questions. They are listening for gaps, inconsistencies, and vague answers. That pressure exposes where a spokesperson is overexplaining, speculating, getting defensive, or missing the key message entirely. There is nothing like sitting across from an experienced journalist and realizing how quickly a conversation can shift.

The exercise shows that most gaps are not about knowledge—executives usually know their business very well. The gap is in translating that knowledge into a clear, controlled, and compassionate response under pressure. For retailers, that matters because a supplier who cannot clearly communicate in a high-pressure moment can create more confusion for everyone downstream. They need partners who can stay steady, share facts responsibly, and help reduce noise instead of adding to it."

When a crisis hits, one of the hardest calls is whether to get ahead of it or let it play out. How might this training help a company think through that decision?

"Training helps companies slow down before they react. Getting ahead of a crisis does not always mean issuing a public statement immediately, but it does mean understanding what you know, what you do not know, who needs to be informed, and what could happen if you wait too long. The real risk of silence is that someone else will fill the gap for you—that could be a customer, a competitor, a social media post, a news outlet, or an employee. Once the narrative gets away from you, it is much harder to regain trust.

For retailers, supplier silence is especially difficult—they may be forced to answer questions without enough information. Sometimes holding is the right call, but silence should be a strategy, not a default. Crisis training helps brands understand that their communication decisions do not happen in a vacuum."

You’ve shared that crisis planning is about more than the CEO. How should a supplier company approach building that kind of organization-wide preparedness?

"The CEO may be the ultimate decision-maker or spokesperson, but crisis preparedness has to extend across the organization. A strong plan should include leadership, sales, food safety, operations, HR, customer service, marketing—anyone who may be contacted by a retailer, reporter, employee, or community member.

The first step is identifying roles before a crisis happens—gathering facts, approving messaging, speaking with retailers, and distinguishing between internal and external communications. This is especially important in fresh produce because retailers are often one of the first and most important audiences a supplier needs to communicate with. The sales team needs to know what they can and cannot say; customer service needs clear direction; leadership needs an approval process; food safety and communications teams need to be aligned before information leaves the building."

There is never a convenient time for media training or crisis planning, which is exactly why it needs to be a priority before the pressure is on. In fresh produce, where trust is everything, Beth makes clear it is not about looking perfect—it is about responding responsibly when something difficult happens.

A prepared supplier gives retailers confidence that they will not be left in the dark or forced to manage alone.