THOMPSON RIVERS UNIVERSITY
BUSN 6011 - Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility
Assignment 1 - Crisis at Maple Leaf Foods Inc.
Due date: September 28th, 2014
Joseph Enevoldson (Student ID: T00149148)
Introduction
In 2008, a food borne outbreak originating in Toronto, Ontario had a severe effect on the conglomerate of Maple Leaf Foods (hereby referred to as MLF), and the stakeholders involved. Over two hundred meat products were recalled, as there were twenty-two deaths that were caused by the onset of Listeriosis. (Wilson, 2011)
Listeria monocytogenes, (hereby referred to as listeria) is a bacterium that is food borne. Listeria strongly affects older people, people suffering from weakened immune systems, and pregnant women, and quite often is fatal. (C, 402) The key issue when trying to detect listeria is the life cycle of the disease. As the text suggests "the time between eating contaminated food and the onset of illness, can range from three to 70 days."
Listeria monocytogenes grown on Bio-Rad RAPID'L.Mo...
Listeria monocytogenes grown on Bio-Rad RAPID'L.Mo...
MLF-GL05(C, 402) Therefore the disease can lay dormant in one's system for almost two months before it is recognized and treated. This would have an effect on the ability to identify and eliminate the bacteria from the infected region, in this case the Bartor Road Plant.
The severity of this outbreak was a "milestone" in Canadian food health and safety history. Never had the country had an outbreak to this extreme, but some good came out of it, as it was paramount towards change in the Health and Safety Industry in our country. In discussing below, we will see who were the stakeholders' involved and how they were influenced, where there were holes in the system, and what was done to remedy the outbreak.
Who were the stakeholders and what is their influence?
"Stakeholders are individuals or groups who can influence and/or are influenced by...