Brand care adds value

Manufacturers need to go beyond good food safety procedures to properly manage the potential risk of damage to their brands, according to cleaning specialist JohnsonDiversey.

Good food safety was core to risk management, said Serban Teodoresco, global md for the SafeKey Group within JohnsonDiversey. But he added: "Risk management has to go beyond hazard analysis critical control points." Environmental and ethical issues were also a key part, he said.

By managing risk properly, companies can actually add value to their brands, he argued. "Brand management must include integrated risk management."

Teodoresco referred to research that showed that properly managed, shareholder value could actually be increased following a crisis. But, if handled badly, it would destroy value. "Properly managing a crisis is an opportunity to instil consumer confidence in your company."