It is now a full month since Lactalis has been in turmoil. The crisis is now global and systemic, affecting every stakeholder in the sector. It was therefore time to revisit the case and analyse its different parts. Analysis carried out with Visibrain.
This article is structured in 3 main blocks:
- Key lessons
- Analysis of the quantitative data
- The story of the crisis through tweets
1. Key lessons
a) This is not a bad buzz
What is particularly interesting about this crisis is that it follows the curve and cycle of a traditional crisis. The crisis curve is striking: 
- First a prodromal stage, in which a series of early warning symptoms signals that a crisis may emerge. It first appears as a simple, routine product recall of the kind that happen often.
- The crisis then emerges through an event and the corresponding damage. Little by little, more and more developments occur.
- The third stage is the chronic stage, during which the persistent effects of the crisis must be dealt with. This chronic stage was reached at the end of January, one month after the crisis began. At this stage, all stakeholders are involved.
- Finally, the resolution stage means the crisis is no longer a concern for stakeholders.
As a result, the course of the crisis is in complete contrast to that of a bad buzz, which generally follows a bell curve marked by the buzz and then its fading. This is logical given the systemic nature of the crisis and the fact that we are not talking about a micro reputation crisis but something far more complex, with multiple stakeholders and a legal timeline still to come. Imagine that you now have all these stakeholders who have paid the price of the crisis and who are asking you to account for it:
- The authorities: they are being blamed for their handling of the crisis. Did they carry out the checks properly? Did they manage the crisis well once it became known? Moreover, inspection services are demanding more resources just as LREM has cut posts.
- Suppliers: already squeezed by Lactalis in negotiations, they will pay for milk's bad reputation after the butter issue.
- Distributors: retailers and pharmacists alike can be blamed for continuing to sell contaminated batches. They will inevitably shift the blame onto Lactalis.
- Employees: they have lost their sense of purpose, and their factory is at a standstill.
- Consumers and victims: they expect explanations and compensation. A trial will also soon follow.
Likewise, the crisis manages to recruit over time:
b) Response strategies
Lactalis's communication was rather poor. The strategy was first to stress its incomprehension of the crisis: “We don't understand what happened.” This incomprehension seems to be present throughout its communication, including in the CEO's interview yesterday in the Journal du Dimanche. Faced with this and with a lack of facts, the standard crisis communication procedure is to recall the procedure. That is what the communications director did, pointing out that many lorries arrive with raw milk from nearby farms. It is then heated to a very high temperature and processed by drying. Vitamins and proteins are then added before the result is put into cartons. And the communications director pointed out that in his entire time at Lactalis he had known fewer than 5 cases of salmonella, with no problem, because the batches had been destroyed completely.
c) The myth of the rich man living in hiding
One of the crisis's major problems is the figure of the company's CEO himself, together with the cult of secrecy that lasted until its accounts were disclosed. The image of the hidden château that must not be seen, added to his silence during the crisis, was particularly criticised. But can he be blamed for not stepping into the fray? For what reason? When Guillaume Pepy arrives at the scene of an accident, there is something to see. There is empathy to express. What could the Lactalis CEO do in a crisis with no defined location? What could he possibly say? His interview in the JDD came only because the tension had become impossible to bear. However, Lactalis burned a bullet by using its ultimate communication lever.
The silence of the Lactalis chairman is highly suspicious.
What is he doing about the Craon plant in Mayenne, where the Institut Pasteur has just confirmed that the bacterium discovered in 2005 at the same site appears similar to the one from 2017!
Do we close the plant or carry on? #CNews- Jean-Lin Lacapelle (@jllacapelle) January 11, 2018
“#Lactalis has 17 billion euros in turnover, which is the only economic figure we have on this company that does not publish its accounts, for which it is fined several thousand euros every year. They are breaking the law.” @emma_ducros #cdanslair pic.twitter.com/cOaXeQTvnQ
- C dans l'air (@Cdanslair) January 12, 2018
“There is a refusal by #Lactalis to speak publicly that is unacceptable,” says Boris Vallaud pic.twitter.com/EwLRlnQXSp
- CNEWS (@CNEWS) January 11, 2018
Lactalis was also criticised for its total lack of empathy. Empathy, the remedy advocated by all bad buzz experts, is however an unusable weapon here. What legitimacy would it have to speak out? On what lever could the CEO play empathy? What would such false empathy bring, other than remarks about how insincere it was? What can be said about Lactalis's communication, however, is that it does not have enough communication levers. It is forced to put up with questions from journalists, the media and the authorities because it has no channel of its own. This lack of freedom prevents it from framing its messages and setting a crisis tempo, and it means Lactalis loses the most important thing in communication: control of time. Creating an account now, however, would be counter-productive and would be criticised immediately. This lack of legitimacy and of space shows why the head of Lactalis cannot be a Michel-Édouard Leclerc.
The CEO of #Lactalis, Emmanuel Besnier, addresses the French: pic.twitter.com/UdTfQaZMHN
- Cyril Bryo (@cyril_bryo) January 14, 2018
d) A catalyst for old crises and debates
Major media crises act like a catalyst. All of Lactalis's past crises were recalled: water contamination, pressure on farmers, the group's total secrecy, and so on. Likewise, many crises in the retail sector are brought back into the public sphere.
https://twitter.com/PetitPotamm/status/951890332454703104
Supermarkets are quicker to notice a 5-cent till error and sack cashiers than to notice that they are poisoning babies #Lactalis
- Anna Conda (@an_conda) January 13, 2018
https://twitter.com/LANDEYves/status/952108110558187520
Likewise, many players such as the vegan lobby, inspection bodies complaining about budget cuts and others take advantage of the halo created by the crisis. All of this is then used by politicians to position themselves.
2. The analysis
a) The tweet news feed: a crisis building to a crescendo
The crisis kept growing in intensity until it reached a peak from 12 January, when it became systemic because it affected absolutely everyone. It amassed 130,000 tweets from 55,343 different accounts, which still works out at an average of three tweets per author, a sign of stagnation.
b) Semantic analysis
The most-used expressions are of course generic words such as salmonella, infant milk and their English equivalents. The CEO is also a particular target, all the more so as this word cloud does not include retweets. The legal aspect, through the complaints, is also covered.
The conversations are not, however, crystallised around a specific hashtag. It is Lactalis that is used:
C) The most shared links
The most shared links show Le Gorafi first, but above all the international footprint the crisis has taken on.
This geographical anchoring is also shown by the map of tweet locations:
3. The story on Twitter
The crisis begins when the health alert authorities call for a recall of infant milk. They also report that Lactalis has set up a freephone number to provide information on batches. The information is then picked up by a number of media outlets.
Incomprehension is then total, including at Lactalis. Indeed, the group's spokesperson admits that it is the first time they have experienced a crisis of this scale. At the same time, the managing director of Lactalis Nutrition Santé, Arnaud Boisnard, does the rounds of the radio stations claiming that the products complied with the salmonella criterion. He also says that additional samples have been taken.
At the same time, Lactalis's opponents step into the fray. They recall old headlines, such as the fact that Lactalis has been discharging wastewater into the Isère for years...
In Brittany, pollution from Lactalis devastated a river https://t.co/jNSUrrZcq4 via @Reporterre
- Sylvain Templier (@sylv1templier) December 4, 2017
Very quickly, Lactalis is submerged by calls from all sides. The product recall is widened by the government after five new cases are reported. It is a serious step, as the finance ministry pulls 620 product references from the shelves.
Lactalis product recall widened by the government after five new cases of salmonellosis https://t.co/q1OtIS0gjD
- Le HuffPost (@LeHuffPost) December 10, 2017
Strong negative reactions follow. The CEO of Lactalis, Emmanuel Besnier, is targeted directly.
https://twitter.com/lucasgautheron/status/939817540095807493
https://twitter.com/NTM_FN/status/939806080716197888
A call for a boycott is also launched.
#Lactalis – Lactalis contaminates babies, dumps lactose into rivers, and makes milk producers disappear.
Let's boycott this brand: to take an active part in this boycott and put pressure on the manufacturer https://t.co/xwamKv2AA5
Here are the brands to avoid: pic.twitter.com/Nbc0CJxqhB- Clément ☭ ⏚ 🦺🔻 🚩🏴🇫🇷🇵🇸🇳🇨 (@rgxhgrg) December 10, 2017
The affair then goes global as the foreign press takes it up.
Baby milk maker Lactalis recalls millions of its product units globally over fears of salmonella bacteria contamination https://t.co/0GISGZKoRM
- AP Business News (@APBusiness) December 11, 2017
For some families, the succession of events is unacceptable: they decide to bring a class action against Lactalis. By 11 December, 10 families are filing complaints for endangering the lives of others. One father follows suit and says: “We are facing a health scandal, our children are being poisoned.”
Contaminated infant milk: “We are facing a health scandal, our children are being poisoned,” says Quentin Guillemain, who is filing a criminal complaint against Lactalis #E1Bonjour pic.twitter.com/GpLBh1Zlwe
- Europe 1 (@Europe1) December 18, 2017
The following week, criticism mounts against Emmanuel Besnier's communication. A boycott campaign has been launched, and it has tens of thousands of signatures.
We also learn that there are not 620 batches but 625 batches of products affected. It is now UFC Que Choisir's turn to file a complaint against Lactalis for deception. At the same time, investigations have been carried out by the DGCCRF and the DDCSPP at the Lactalis site.
https://twitter.com/lemondefr/status/942802112102256641
Finally, Lactalis recalls the whole of its French production. Meanwhile, the Mayenne plant is particularly on edge. As in such cases, the internal troops are affected. One employee comments: “It's really a shame to see our company in the spotlight for this; it calls all our work into question”. Commentary on the crisis remains biting.
So Lactalis, which is scandalously strangling our milk producers, would also be poisoning our children?
- bruno masure🇪🇺🇺🇦🎬🐯💉(5 doses) (@BrunoMasure) December 27, 2017
Even the vegan lobbies take advantage of the media opportunity to repeat some of their messages:
https://twitter.com/VeganImpact/status/947123359967363072
At the same time, even Cameroonian networks are raising the alarm about the situation. Batches in Madagascar are also recalled, while the Ivorian government orders infant milk to be withdrawn.
Risk of an epidemic of Salmonella Agona infection caused by dairy products of the #lactalis brand imported into Cameroon. Warn those around you pic.twitter.com/pw6fz9f18Y
- Armelle Sitchoma (@Asitchoma) December 28, 2017
#HEALTH: The Ivorian government orders the withdrawal of infant milk containing salmonella.https://t.co/uH1qgcVCoA#Gouvci
- Gouvernement de Côte d'Ivoire (@Gouvci) December 29, 2017
The crisis also enters the legal arena, as we learn that a preliminary investigation has been opened for endangering the lives of others, unintentional injury and aggravated deception.
#Lactalis: preliminary investigation opened after salmonella found in infant milk https://t.co/V8vti03e4Q
- Le Monde (@lemondefr) December 26, 2017
At this point, the decision is taken to open the explainer slots to give the background on Lactalis, a company perhaps little known to the public. The press stresses several elements:
- It is a historic family group that has existed for more than 85 years. It grew from a single French region into a global company through acquisitions.
- The culture of secrecy is total. The CEO, son of the company's historic boss, keeps out of sight and likes discretion. In almost 20 years, he has never given a single interview to the press.
- A company that has known one crisis after another.
On 2 January 2018 there is a twist in Le Canard Enchaîné, as an article reveals that Lactalis knew and said nothing. The announcement comes as a shock to many people.
That is where we are. To protect their profits, some people are prepared to poison infants. A scandal. #Lactalis https://t.co/e4vY6J5FgI
- Thomas Porcher (@PorcherThomas) January 3, 2018
We need to wake up and boycott all #Lactalis products. It is the greatest power we have. pic.twitter.com/nqmQZ4loKn
- Kévin Carriere (@kevincarrierefr) January 3, 2018
Named in the Canard Enchaîné article, the Mayenne prefecture denies reports that salmonella could have been detected during checks carried out by the DDCSPP. The Minister for Agriculture also steps into the fray. UDI senator Élisabeth Doineau then publishes a press release defending Lactalis, recalling the group's importance for employment in the region and the fact that the dairy industry is once again being pushed into a difficult reputational phase. At the same time, we learn that Lactalis is continuing its business activity and buying the flagship Icelandic yoghurt company. Related information also emerges, recalling that the Besnier family placed 1.7 billion euros in Brussels via a holding company.
On 7 January, a first weak signal from Nord Éclair mentions that a Leclerc store sold an individual milk that was potentially contaminated with salmonella.
“Leclerc sells him milk potentially contaminated with salmonella” via @NordEclairWeb https://t.co/IfsuLRnsNG
- foodwatch France (@foodwatchfr) January 7, 2018
A first toll is also published: thirty-three infants, thirteen of whom were hospitalised, had diarrhoea caused by these bacteria after consuming the Picot and Milumel milk brands produced at this site. The following week, things go into total overdrive. The outburst is even bigger, as a single photograph of Emmanuel Besnier gathers more than 5,200 retweets.
This is the face of the man who tried to poison children for money, Emmanuel Besnier, head of #lactalis, France's 8th richest person, 17 billion in turnover in 2016. He doesn't like publicity, so let's spread his photo everywhere! pic.twitter.com/iRU074Rbe2
- Thomas Portes (@Portes_Thomas) January 11, 2018
Why is Emmanuel Besnier, CEO of #Lactalis, received at @_Bercy_ rather than summoned to the police station? https://t.co/ABgusYixbq
- Thomas Porcher (@PorcherThomas) January 12, 2018
Retailers are also at the heart of the storm, since they carried on selling after the recall date.
What is organised crime?
It's when France's biggest supermarkets all sell salmonella-contaminated milk after the recall date and poison 37 infants
Auchan, Leclerc, Système U, Cora, Carrefour pic.twitter.com/IycPcTgWQI- Emmanuel Foulon (@efoulon1) January 11, 2018
And new players are pushing to advance their political agenda. State services declare themselves underfunded and are helped by a statement from Benoît Hamon on the subject.
“We have excellent fraud control services in France, the problem is that we have cut budgets and staffing enormously, so they do what they can” @isabellesaporta #cdanslair #Lactalis pic.twitter.com/rl5JAjAfpU
- C dans l'air (@Cdanslair) January 12, 2018
Pharmacies are also affected, and the Order of Pharmacists is considering disciplinary sanctions.
Pharmacies that sold contaminated milk: the Order of Pharmacists is considering “disciplinary sanctions” https://t.co/Pik3vF0Nem pic.twitter.com/d423Se24Sx
- franceinfo (@franceinfo) January 11, 2018
The same goes for the farmers' association, which is demanding answers:
We expect #truth and #transparency from the CEO of #Lactalis in the contaminated milk affair ➡️ we are summoning him to come and explain himself so that light is shed on it, in order to ensure the health safety of our food pic.twitter.com/E174c27J2M
- Jeunes Agriculteurs (@JeunesAgri) January 12, 2018
Lactalis: Emmanuel Besnier summoned to provide answers! The Fnsea, the Fnpl and JA are demanding explanations. ➡️ https://t.co/68wAlujvPc pic.twitter.com/6MTArbApGT
- La FNSEA (@FNSEA) January 12, 2018
Former employees say the crisis was more than foreseeable. “Many of us in the department are absolutely not surprised by what is happening today. When you see sieves on the floor, when you see brushes that end up on the floor or sit alongside all the dust from a week of production and are used to clean the inside of the pipes... Indeed, you should not be surprised that a powder circuit can be contaminated.” And this person concludes: “the priority was clearly production”. That is too much for the CEO of Lactalis, who is directly singled out. He gives an interview to the JDD.
“In the Lactalis affair, there was information about batch numbers and computer codes. Each new piece of information cancelled the previous one, and there was saturation in the management of our system,”
We are far from the end: Cash Investigation is going to produce a report on the subject. The crisis is therefore systemic and global. It will not be resolved in 10 days.
https://twitter.com/cashinvestigati/status/952177302858846208https://twitter.com/cashinvestigati/status/952177302858846208
