Post Foods Company: Challenges Identification Research Paper

Exclusively available on IvyPanda Available only on IvyPanda

Introduction

The case under discussion is an ethical dilemma that is currently challenging the Post Foods Company. According to the latest news, the company’s production has been accused of containing glyphosate residues that are proclaimed to be “a probable human carcinogen by the World Health Organization (WHO)” (Watson, 2016, para. 4).

We will write a custom essay on your topic a custom Research Paper on Post Foods Company: Challenges Identification
808 writers online

Some experts believe that it is a vivid example of the unethical business making as Post Foods’s consumers do not expect to find any toxic pesticides in the products that are overtly advertised as ‘100% natural’ (Watson, 2016, para. 4). In other words, it is assumed that the company tries to gain profit by conducting unethical actions and deceiving its customers.

Brief research on the problem’s background shows that Post Foods is not the only market player that has faced a similar challenge. Hence, a month before the incident occurred, the production of the Quaker Company owned by PepsiCo was likewise accused of containing glyphosate. The company refused to be responsible for it and explained its presence by the farmers’ irresponsible conduct (Strom, 2016).

Hence, the paper at hand is aimed at examining the incident and the impact it is likely to produce on the company’s performance. A particular emphasis is put on the key triggers of the discussed event as well as the relevant prerequisites. The paper likewise targets to provide a brief overview of the company and an outline for alternative solutions.

Company Overview

The Post Foods Company has a long-lasting history as it was founded 100 years ago. The company specializes in producing ready-to-eat cereals that are said to be made of high-quality ingredients. The company’s target market is the USA. Post Foods relies on the local farmers and ensures that it uses only natural ingredients. Both aspects essentially contribute to establishing a positive, trustworthy image. The key message of the company resides in promoting healthy eating (Post Foods, 2016). Therefore, the described incident is of particular importance as it represents a critical hazard to Post Foods’ reputation that has been created throughout a century.

Issue Identification

The so-called “triggering event” is the Post Foods Company’s decision to use glyphosate in their production. As it was initially proclaimed, the key benefit of their cereals resides in the fact that they do not contain any pesticide residues. Hence, the unethical implications are on the surface – the company has tried to convince its customers of the idea, that its products did not do any harm to health stating that they are 100%natural, even though it has concealed some important information regarding the glyphosate. Taking into account the active public discussion and the scope of criticism in the media, it might be assumed that the incident has had a negative impact on the company’s image and disturbed the customers’ loyalty.

In the meantime, it should be pointed out that it was only after the annual WHO’s statement in 2015 that the containment of glyphosate became considered harmful. Experts admit that its unhealthy effect has not been empirically proved yet (Lim, 2014).

1 hour!
The minimum time our certified writers need to deliver a 100% original paper

Nevertheless, the fact that the element is not natural is undoubted. Hence, the key problem is that Post Foods sticks to ‘100% natural’ as its slogan – in case it chose ‘100% healthy,’ the company would have more chances to entrench successfully. In addition, the fact that this is not the first time that the company is accused of unethical conduct makes the situation worse. Hence, last year, the company was criticized for closing down one of its offices in Parsippany and depriving 200 employees of work (Strauss, 2015).

The Targeted Role

It is assumed that the discussed problem should be, first and foremost, addressed by the company’s CEO. This position is currently held by Bart Adlam (Bloomberg, 2016). It should be noted that the president should have controlled the company’s response to the scandal in a more appropriate manner. Hence, according to the reliable source, Post Foods’ defense attorney claimed that the ‘100% natural slogan’ should not be taken too literary, and the customers are sure to realize there is some exaggeration in it (Watson, 2016). This statement puts the company’s image under threat – it shows that the company’s advertising messages are initially doubtful.

In addition, the same attorney claimed that the right dosing minimized the harmful effect. However, this statement also has a negative impact on the company’s reputation as it illustrates that Post Foods does not ensure consistent control of the ingredient dosing in its production. Moreover, this argument is irrelevant to the defense claim that accuses Post Foods of using deceiving slogans.

Targeted Question

Therefore, the question that future research can address might be put as follows:

  • Shall the Post Foods restore its reputation through excluding glyphosate from the products’ contents or admit its usage and put an emphasis on the harmlessness of this pesticide.

Hence, first and foremost, it is critical to understand whether there is any chance for the company to produce its products without glyphosate. Secondly, it is important to consider the ways of reshaping its strategy.

Reference List

Bloomberg. (2016). Company overview of Post Foods. Web.

Lim, H.Z. (2014). Is glyphosate, used with some GM crops, dangerously toxic to humans? Web.

Remember! This is just a sample
You can get your custom paper by one of our expert writers

Post Foods. (2016). Get to know more about Post Foods. Web.

Strauss, E. (2015). Post Foods to shutter Parsippany HQ as part of parent’s consolidation; 200 jobs affected nationwide, NJBIZ. Web.

Strom, S. (2016). Quaker Oats’ 100% natural claim questioned in the lawsuit, The New York Times. Web.

Watson, E. (2016). Post Foods targeted in the latest ‘100% natural’ lawsuit over glyphosate, Food Navigator. Web.

Print
Need an custom research paper on Post Foods Company: Challenges Identification written from scratch by a professional specifically for you?
808 writers online
Cite This paper
Select a referencing style:

Reference

IvyPanda. (2020, October 19). Post Foods Company: Challenges Identification. https://ivypanda.com/essays/post-foods-company-challenges-identification/

Work Cited

"Post Foods Company: Challenges Identification." IvyPanda, 19 Oct. 2020, ivypanda.com/essays/post-foods-company-challenges-identification/.

References

IvyPanda. (2020) 'Post Foods Company: Challenges Identification'. 19 October.

References

IvyPanda. 2020. "Post Foods Company: Challenges Identification." October 19, 2020. https://ivypanda.com/essays/post-foods-company-challenges-identification/.

1. IvyPanda. "Post Foods Company: Challenges Identification." October 19, 2020. https://ivypanda.com/essays/post-foods-company-challenges-identification/.


Bibliography


IvyPanda. "Post Foods Company: Challenges Identification." October 19, 2020. https://ivypanda.com/essays/post-foods-company-challenges-identification/.

Powered by CiteTotal, referencing generator
If you are the copyright owner of this paper and no longer wish to have your work published on IvyPanda. Request the removal
More related papers
Cite
Print
1 / 1