Situational Analysis Report: Coles' Response to Salmonella Outbreak

This report presents a situational analysis of a Salmonella outbreak linked to eggs sold by Coles. The analysis examines the context of the outbreak, including the role of Salmonella bacteria, the impact on public health, and the regulatory environment concerning food safety standards in Australia. It details Coles' response to the crisis, including the steps taken to ensure food safety and address consumer concerns. The report also evaluates the role of social media in shaping public perception and influencing consumer behavior, as well as the responses from competitors like Woolworths. The feature article examines the importance of keeping eggs at a certain temperature to prevent Salmonella, the impact of the outbreak on public health, and the role of social media in shaping public perception. The report concludes by providing a review of the response from Coles and the role of the media in spreading the information.

Running head: SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS
Situational Analysis
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SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS
The feature article is not something that delivers the firsthand news to the audience.
Rather these articles contain different elements of the news, however their primary job is to
humanize the subject matter, educate, add color, illuminate and entertain the general audience. It
is also possible that the feature articles are providing repetitive news. This feature article talks
about the recent social media breakout about the salmonella bacteria that is causing severe harm
for the general people in the summer months.
Coles had come under serious pressure for moving the eggs from the warm shelves to a
cold storage. The authority has stated that the eggs should be kept in a place that is less than
seven degrees of temperature for keeping them safe from the salmonella bacteria. The bacteria is
harming the human beings and causing serious illness that is leading to further hospitalization as
well. Therefore this feature article has stated all the related issues with the issue and defined how
the customers had reacted with the issue on social media (Steve Lillebuen, 2017). Most of the
customers have asked them to take necessary steps for keeping the eggs in a safe and cool place.
Many also started threatening them that if they do not take effective steps, they will boycott the
store immediately. The experts cannot also predict the timing of the disease as it happen at any
time round the year. Therefore they suggest that we all should take care and try different
prevention methods so that the disease does not turn into an epidemic. As this virus is generally
found on the birds, the germ spreads through the fasces to their eggs. Moreover the food and
health safety laws strictly states that the eggs should be washed, checked whether there is any
crack on them, graded and kept in cold storages under seven degrees of temperature. Initially the
organization did not reply to any of such messages that have been posting on the social media,
but later they had told one of the leading daily in Australia that they are adhering to all the rules
and regulations of Food safety Australia and New Zealand (FSANZ) standards. In the mean time,

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SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS
the other leading organizations such as Woolworths had published the news that they are
incorporating necessary methods for keeping the eggs in a safe and cool place so that the bacteria
does not cause any harm, therefore the public rage against Coles have started increasing (Steve
Lillebuen, 2017). However, the organization had taken care of the situation in a strategic way
and said that they are taking all the necessary steps for dealing with the situation. The feature
article will be published through all the leading dailies in Australia.

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Reference List
Parker, C. (2013). Voting with your fork? Industrial free-range eggs and the regulatory
construction of consumer choice. The Annals of the American Academy of Political and
Social Science, 649(1), 52-73.
Parker, C., & Scrinis, G. (2014). Out of the cage and into the barn: supermarket power food
system governance and the regulation of free range eggs. Griffith Law Review, 23(2),
318-347.
Steve Lillebuen, C. (2017). Supermarkets 'missing link' in egg-related salmonella protection. The
Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 29 October 2017, from
http://www.smh.com.au/national/health/supermarkets-missing-link-in-eggrelated-
salmonella-protection-20160106-gm0ij5.html