As Peanut Butter Crisis Escalates, Government Turns To Social Media To Get The Word Out
With increasing numbers of manufacturers and retailers recalling peanut-containing products such as peanut butter daily, it is very difficult for consumers to figure out what foods to avoid and how the government is responding. Now, the CDC and its sister agency the FDA, have turned to social media to help quickly disseminate information about the various recalls.
For example, tomorrow, the CDC will be holding a Webinar specifically for bloggers designed to “give blog writers the chance to speak with FDA and CDC subject matter experts about the Salmonella Typhimurium outbreak efforts and future resources for bloggers during food safety incidents.” This is an important step, as bloggers often spread the word about health news items and have a broader reach (via social network and search engine effects) than traditional media publications.
The blogger Webinar is very interesting and I encourage those interested in learning more about the peanut recall and the government’s evolving crisis communications strategies to attend. It will take place tomorrow February 3 from 2:30 – 3:30 p.m.
