Online Public Relations Thoughts

Hershey, the chocolate company, is being sued for the presence of lead and cadmium in its dark chocolate bars.  The toxic metals are apparently naturally occurring and Hershey had nothing to do with putting them in its chocolate.  No matter.  It is a crisis the company will have to handle.  There doesn't seem to be a day that goes by without a lawsuit.  Some are frivolous, some serious, but all have the potential of damaging the reputation of the organizations involved.  This is why crisis PR readiness is a necessity in business.  It can defuse a situation quickly and get facts out to the public before a situation gets out of hand.  I'm sure that neither Hershey nor Godiva nor any other chocolate maker were aware of toxic metals in their products, but from now on, they will have to control for them.