SAS Group > Case Studies
Piccalilli Catering
THE CHALLENGE
On Melbourne Cup Day 2013, Piccalilli Catering catered to about 40 client events around Brisbane. Within days, guests at multiple events fell seriously ill and one elderly victim died.
The illness was caused by salmonella, traced to eggs purchased from a supplier at the Brisbane Produce Markets at Rocklea. Piccalilli’s chefs had used those eggs to make fresh mayonnaise, which was served in potato and Caesar salads on the day.
Although the contamination came through the supply chain rather than a breakdown in Piccalilli’s kitchen procedures or quality systems, the business faced an existential threat. Multiple clients were affected and would seek financial recompense. Queensland Health publicly blamed ‘a catering company’ without naming Piccalilli. Media were hunting for the company’s identity. If the story was told without Piccalilli’s voice in it, the business risked being destroyed in a news cycle. Piccalilli needed expert crisis communications support, immediately.
THE RESPONSE
Our plan centred on five priorities: Decouple the affected and unaffected parts of the business to contain the damage; write directly to affected clients with a full, honest explanation before any media stories broke; prepare a media statement for immediate release, if required; draft letters for unaffected clients to reassure them about quality and controls at Piccalilli; and maintain regular contact with Queensland Health and staff plus twice-daily contact with the client.
Our messaging strategy was clear: lead with empathy for victims and Piccalilli’s clients; honesty and transparency were non-negotiable to maintain credibility; Piccalilli was taking decisive action to review its supply chain; and the failure happened to Piccalilli, not caused by Piccalilli.
When the story broke, media began searching for the business. Our advice to Piccalilli was clear: name yourselves and tell the real story before someone else tells it for you. With its agreement, we called media outlets directly and referred them to the Piccalilli website where a prepared statement was posted.
This led with empathy and distress; explained the supply chain failure honestly and in detail; affirmed Piccalilli’s own quality systems had not broken down; and outlined the steps being taken to prevent it happening again. The level of detail and openness was deliberate as it conveyed transparency and gave media a clear, factual narrative to report.
The result was significant: Piccalilli was widely named in coverage, but the contaminated eggs became the lead angle on almost every story, not a failure by the caterer.
On day two, all television stations requested on-camera interviews. We negotiated an option to read a statement without questions. Ultimately, our advice was that strategic silence, at the right moment, was as important as speaking up had been the day before.
THE OUTCOME
Piccalilli Catering survived the crisis with its brand and reputation intact. By getting ahead of the story, leading with empathy and honesty, and providing a clear factual narrative that positioned the contaminated eggs – not the caterer – as the cause, we helped shift the media angle decisively in the client’s favour.
‘Your suggestion [of the SAS Group] was a MASTERSTROKE, many thanks. We have had numerous comments from inside (and outside) the media world as to how well the issue was handled. These comments included from the Courier Mail editor!!’
- Piccalilli Catering