Case Study-A Case of Listeria Contaminated Food at Nature Only LLC

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Case Study-A Case of Listeria Contaminated Food at Nature Only LLC

If the CEO of Nature Only LLC came to seek advice from me regarding whether they should stop the supply of oats in the company, I would advise him to recall the product not only because it is the right thing to do but also because the move would save the entire company a lot of money in lawsuits and compensation. As a business owner or operator, it is always advisable to do actions that contribute to the greater good for all the parties involved (Pedrós-Garrido, Clemente, Calanche, Condón-Abanto, Beltrán, Lyng, & Whyte 2020). Because the granola bars are contaminated with listeria, it would not be advisable to continue selling them. Such a decision would be selfish and it could land the company on the wrong side of the law if people found out. Understandably, the company could be tempted to overlook their mistake and continue selling the oats because if they recall the product, they lose over $200 000. Recalling the product would be the right move for Nature Only because if the public got wind that they were aware of the contamination yet did nothing to stop its sale, they would lose trust in the company. The people would view the company as a self-centered brand that is only interested in profits and cares little about the welfare of the consumers.

Worth noting, the legal implications of not recalling the contaminated granola bars are rather dire. If the consumers knew that Nature Only has been feeding them with listeria-contaminated products, they could take legal action against them. This would negatively affect the company’s reputation and lead them to spend lots of money in legal fees to deal with the lawsuit. In the event that the court finds them guilty of the action, Nature Only LLC would end up spending up to tens of millions of dollars compensating the victims. The company would also lose its good reputation and they would end up losing clients.

References

Pedrós-Garrido, S., Clemente, I., Calanche, J. B., Condón-Abanto, S., Beltrán, J. A., Lyng, J. G., … & Whyte, P. (2020). Antimicrobial activity of natural compounds against Listeria spp. and their effects on sensory attributes in salmon (Salmo salar) and cod (Gadus morhua). Food Control, 107, 106768.