Maple Leaf sales still suffer

The story below is hardly a surprise -- however, as the Tylenol case showed, consumers do eventually come back if the product remains available.

Consumers slow to return to Maple Leaf food products after recall: study


A study by researchers at the University of Regina suggests consumers remain reluctant to consume Maple Leaf foods products six months after the company issued a major recall of products contaminated with listeria.

The survey asked 971 consumers across Canada a number of questions about Maple Leaf products, said Sylvain Charlebois, an associate professor in the business administration faculty who was involved in the study. Most respondents were aware of the recall, Charlebois said, noting that 90 per cent had heard of the listeria problems.

However, the study suggested that fewer than one-third could say they knew any specifics of the recall, such as which products were affected, and often responded that they had thrown out any products they had. "Many respondents threw out all their Maple Leaf products, irrespective of whether or not they were part of the recall," an abstract of the survey noted.

Charlebois also asked questions about consumer attitudes to Maple Leaf food products after the recall. The study found that of households that had bought Maple Leaf food items before the recall, a quarter have not done so since. It also reported, with a caution, that 40 per cent of people who knew about the recall have not eaten Maple Leaf products post-recall.
James Morton