User:Skoodles/1992–1993 Jack in the Box E. coli outbreak

Media and Official(s) Responses
E. coli-related events that are reported by media outlets, often cite the Jack in the Box example because of its significance to its brand and the people. The repetition of negative media on a restaurant tarnishes its history because the consumers of the media will uphold that negative image for long periods of time. Foodmaker Inc., officials defended themselves and their brand by taking the blame away from their cooking practices because they believed they had not caused the outbreak. However, the Health Department would find that their burgers were undercooked under state-approved regulations. The officials would then issue their apology regarding their part in starting the outbreak.

Due to this crisis, Jack in the Box as a whole would have to face the accusations of being irresponsible for their actions and ignoring safety regulations that are set in place, as well as having poor communication when addressing the crisis.

Foodmaker Inc. Lawsuit
Victims of the Jack in the Box E. Coli crisis sued Foodmaker Inc. because they were responsible for supplying the meat for Jack in the Box Restaurants. Sheree Zizzi was a spokesperson for Foodmaker when the lawsuit of Riley Detwiler was settled, she had a positive view of the lawsuit by referring to it as fair and equitable. However, another Foodmaker official, Robert Nugent was not pleased and viewed the lawsuits as poor settlements with the franchisees as a whole. The main argument made against Foodmaker Inc. in the lawsuits was that they failed to check the meat supply to deem it safe to eat and that they withheld information for the benefit of their company.

The irresponsibility shown by Jack in the Box was seen when they covered their bases by shifting the blame to others involved such as Foodmaker Inc and the cooks at the Jack In the Box location. The chairman of Jack in the Box, Jack Goodall publicly announced in hopes to make the company look better that the company shared their sympathy and prayers to the families of the victims of the crisis. He added that Jack in the Box would pay the hospital bills for the all the customers affected with E. Coli.


 * Poisoned: The True Story of the Deadly E. Coli Outbreak That Changed the Way Americans Eat was a 2011 book by Jeff Benedict that followed the events of the outbreak and the development of Bill Marler, an attorney who fought against Jack in the Box. The book later became the basis of the 2023 Netflix documentary, Poisoned: The Dirty Truth About Your Food.