Food extortion can be described as obtaining or trying to obtain something, usually money, through force or threats. Unfortunately, the food industry is not immune to this sort of behaviour from disgruntled customers. During my time working as a regulatory food inspector for government, I was involved in the investigation of a few of these attempts of food extortion. One that comes to mind is a guy who found a cleaning brush hair baked into a loaf of bread. He contacted the food business who manufactured the product and then demanded some obscure amount of money – something like $3,456.18 as compensation. It was later revealed through the police investigation that he had just lost his job. The amount of money that he wanted was the total of his bills due that month.
More recently, one of my clients contacted me after a customer demanded a payment of $800.00 by 5pm for a broken tooth he allegedly sustained after eating one of their olive bread products 6 weeks previously. My client wanted to know the best way to deal with this issue and should they just pay the guy the money he wanted.
The best way to handle this situation if it ever happens to your food business is to:
1. Get the complaint details
Like any complaint situation, your customer management procedures should be implemented with good customer service the focus. This includes showing empathy towards the customer, getting full details of the complaint, the product details, the dates of purchase, any photographs available etc. If the customer does not want to hand over the actual food product or alleged foreign matter, try and send a food business representative to view the item.
2. Do not hand over any money
First and foremost, do not hand over any money even if your food business is at fault. Let the customer know that you are undertaking an investigation into the alleged issue.
3. Notify the Police
Extortion is a criminal offence and you should inform your local police authority as soon as any threat is made. The police can then undertake their own investigation and take appropriate action. Contact the police regardless of your liability – remember, any type of extortion is a criminal offence including food extortion.
4. Undertake a full investigation
Investigate the possible cause of the complaint making sure to check all possible options. Go back to your hazard analysis and see if you have assessed the hazard and allocated a suitable control measure. In my scenario, we know that olives contain a pit even if we buy olives that are sold to us as ‘pitted’. Review previous customer complaints to see if this issue has been identified before or if there is any trends. The aim here is to collect as much information in ‘real time’ as possible should there be legal action undertaken down the track.
5. Take appropriate corrective action
Based on your investigation your food business will then need to take corrective action. If you have found that the complaint was justified, you can then make a decision as to how the customer should be compensated. I suggest contacting your insurance agency for significant liability issues. Corrective action for the product should be implemented immediately to stop anyone else being injured. You may need to implement your product recall and withdrawal procedures.
Share your food extortion experience
As a general rule, customers will not go to this extreme if they find something wrong with a food product that you have manufactured. However, prevention is the key – respond, manage and investigate the complaint as a priority and let the police deal with the extortion attempt.
Has your food business ever been subjected to a food extortion attempt? Share your experience by leaving a comment below.
