Addressing emotions trumps logic

Maple Leaf Foods and Michael McCain have earned respect and a measure of praise for the response to the listeria crisis. That may change.

A class-action lawsuit against Maple Leaf Foods in the wake of the listeria crisis that has claimed six Canadian lives to date, accuses the company of telling its commercial partners about the contamination four days before warning the public. The suit alleges the company was aware of the potential toxicity of several of its food products four days prior to informing consumers but chose only to inform distributors, placing consumers at risk. During this interim period hundreds of Canadians likely consumed the suspect food products and many may have fallen ill.

The assertion has not been proven and it is likely that the company and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency have an explanation that is reasonable to them. The test will be whether their response to the allegation – not yet addressed by either the company or the CFIA – will be acceptable to Canadians processing information with emotion more than logic.