Maple Leaf Expects Its Brand to Be Fully Recovered in 12 Months

After seeing its meat business battered by a listeriosis outbreak at a key plant this summer, Maple Leaf hopes to see a “full recovery” by next year, the company’s CEO said Wednesday.

Chief executive Michael McCain said the company has examined several case studies of other companies that were forced to recall products over illness outbreaks, and it wouldn’t be unprecedented to expect a full brand recovery within six to 12 months.

McCain said sales of products with the Maple Leaf brand declined by up to 35 percent following the recall, which produced a big net loss for the company and also wiped out 94 percent of the operating profits of the company’s meat division.

But the Toronto food company has been seeing week-over-week improvements in the sales of both Maple Leaf-brand products and its meats generally since early September. The number of consumers who say they’re buying Maple Leaf products has more than doubled in the last two months, and the most recent survey done by the company indicates that more than 80 percent of consumers are planning to buy the products in the “near term,” McCain said.

“With patience and hard work, over time we will be in a position or have an opportunity to recover consumers’ trust in our brand,” he said. “Every week gets a bit better.”

Source: Canadian Press