Tiger Brands takes big listeria hit - and it could get a lot worse
Company's apparent avoidance of blame could harm its image
On Friday the noose seemed to tighten around Tiger Brands's neck as the group conceded that the listeria bacteria responsible for the deaths of more than 180 people had been detected at its Polokwane factory.
But CEO Lawrence MacDougall, speaking to Business Times, insisted the factory wasn't responsible for the deaths caused by the outbreak, saying, "What we are sure of at the moment is that we do have listeria in the plant and we have found a DNA of ST6".
But "we haven't yet had any evidence that's linked to any illnesses or deaths. We don't know that", he added.
MacDougall said results were received from the Department of Health on Thursday afternoon confirming the detection of the ST6. This meant the company could start identifying the root causes and working on them while doing more work with the department to understand what they were and how to deal with them.
He said the company had no information on how the bacteria had entered the factory. "We are trying to update you as we move along."..
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