Crisis Communication Plan Builder

I've drafted the full Ashgrove playbook and checked it. The checks found one ordering problem, which I fixed. In the account-loss scenario the lender was told before employees; employees now come first.

File: Ashgrove-Crisis-Communication-Playbook-DRAFT.md (in your working folder) (2026-10-01, about 9,400 words, version 0.1). It's a draft only; nothing has been sent or published.

How it fixes the three things that went wrong in May 2025:

The retailer heard from social media. All 20 retail and foodservice buyers get a call before any public statement. You call the two largest accounts yourselves. A named person (role still to be filled) watches social media for early signs.

The statement took 31 hours. Outside counsel clears the templates in advance, in December 2026. During an incident, counsel and the relevant VP review at the same time within 30 minutes, and Daniel approves alone. If he can't be reached for 15 minutes, Ingrid approves.

Plant employees heard from the local news. Employees are told first in every scenario, at about the one-hour mark. Supervisor huddles reach the roughly 30% of staff who aren't signed up for text alerts.

What's in it:

• Ranked risks: recall, then ransomware or ERP outage, then serious worker injury, then losing a big account.
• Four severity levels and a short decision tree built on your actual triggers.
• Response team: each of your five leaders has a role and a backup, with a table of who decides what at each level.
• Response timeline for the most serious incidents, minute by minute.

Templates for all nine audiences: employees, the union local, the 14 chains, the 6 distributors, consumers, the board, the lender, regulators and the media.

Holding statements for the three top scenarios, each with a list of things not to say. The account-loss scenario gets internal and reactive lines only, with no public statement.

Spokesperson guidance: who speaks at each level, and approved answers to 12 likely questions, including "why trust you after 2025?"

• Social media plan: who watches, what for, and when to respond, monitor or ignore.

Drill calendar: a readiness block for October to December 2026, then a month-by-month 2027 calendar. It includes two recall drills (February and June), a ransomware drill with email declared down, a Carver Falls injury drill, and a drill where Daniel can't be reached.

What I didn't make up:

No regulator names or legal deadlines. Your food safety team says they know the recall timelines, but none were given to me. They're left blank in Appendix A for the team to fill in and counsel to confirm.

No names you didn't give me. Roles you didn't name (plant managers, IT lead, board chair, law firm partner, hotline owner) are marked as gaps.

25 open items need answers before you adopt it (Section 11). These are the ones that block it:
1.

Communications lead. Nobody owns drafting the statements. I've proposed Nadia for employee messages and Owen for external ones as a stopgap; the alternative is an outside crisis firm on retainer.
2. Buyer relationships. Who calls the 14 buyers and 6 distributors, and who backs them up?
3. A deputy for Samuel. Nobody can hold product or file with regulators when he's away.
4.

Renewal dates for the two largest accounts. If either falls before June 2027, both recall drills need to move earlier.
5.

Questions for counsel: the lender's notice clauses, the union contract's notice duties, and any data-breach notice duties.

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The file it wrote: Ashgrove-Crisis-Communication-Playbook-DRAFT.md

Ashgrove Kitchen Co. — Crisis Communication Playbook

Status: DRAFT v0.1 for leadership review (prepared 2026-10-01). Nothing in this document has been sent, posted, or published.
Executive sponsor: Daniel Reyes-Hart, CEO. He approves the decision rights in Section 4.
Legal review required before adoption: the outside law firm must review every holding statement and template, all language that could read as an admission, privilege practices, and every notification duty. Items marked CONFIRM WITH COUNSEL are unresolved.
Conventions: [brackets] mark facts that are filled in during an incident. NOT PROVIDED marks a role or detail we did not have when drafting. Both are listed in Section 11, Open Items.

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1. Situation and Risk Assessment

1.1 Organization profile

1.2 Gaps exposed by the May 2025 sesame recall

1.3 Risk inventory

1.4 Top three scenarios (ranked)

Product recall. It has happened before, it brings regulators in, it touches every customer, and the timing against the 2027 renewals is the worst of any scenario.
2.

Ransomware or ERP outage that stops shipping. It directly hurts service levels that retailers judge at renewal, and it can disable the communication channels this plan depends on.
3.

Serious worker injury. It is very visible locally, it involves the union at Carver Falls, it is a matter of human welfare first, and it may bring regulators in.

Account loss is handled as a fourth scenario with internal, board and lender templates only. It has no proactive public statement (Section 7.4).

Is a full playbook justified? Yes. With 900 employees across three sites, a union, 20 trade customers, regulators, a board and a lender, there are too many audiences for a one-page escalation sheet.

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2. Crisis Communication Principles

Employees hear first. No plant employee learns about an Ashgrove crisis from the local paper again. In every timeline, employees are told before the public statement. In a plant town, telling employees is close to telling the public, so the gap between the employee notice and the buyer calls is kept to 30 minutes or less. (Lesson: May 2025, employees learned from local news.)
2.

Customers hear from us, not from their customers. Retail buyers and distributors get a call from a named Ashgrove person before any public statement, consumer notice or social post. (Lesson: May 2025, a big retailer learned from social media.)
3.

First statement within 2 hours, then updates. A pre-cleared holding statement goes out within 2 hours for Level 3 and above. It says what we know, what we are doing and when we will update next. A complete statement can follow; a late one cannot be undone. (Lesson: 31 hours in 2025.)
4.

One approver, reviewers in parallel. Every statement has one drafter and one approver. Reviewers (counsel, the VP for the subject area) comment at the same time within a fixed window (30 minutes at Level 3) rather than in turn. Comments that miss the window go into the next update, not this one.
5.

Safety actions never wait for communications. Holding product, stopping a line or getting help to an injured worker happens immediately. Communications follow the action.
6.

Legal and communications are partners. Counsel protects the company. The plan protects relationships. Templates are cleared in advance so that at incident time counsel checks the facts filled into the brackets instead of rewriting the text.
7.

No blame and no speculation. We do not name or blame individuals, suppliers or customers, and we do not state a cause until the investigation has confirmed it.

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3. Classification Matrix and Decision Tree

[X] thresholds are for Ingrid Castellano and Owen Malick to set based on how long inventory covers customer orders (Open Items).

Decision tree (run within 15 minutes of detection)

1. Could product in consumers' or customers' hands carry an allergen,
   foreign-material, or other safety risk?
   ├── Yes → Level 3 minimum. Any illness or allergic-reaction report → Level 4.
   │         (Samuel Achterberg may place product on hold immediately — do not wait.)
   └── No ↓

2. Was a worker seriously hurt (hospitalized, or worse)?
   ├── Fatality or multiple serious injuries → Level 4
   ├── Hospitalized → Level 3
   ├── Lost-time, no hospitalization → Level 2
   └── No ↓

3. Is shipping stopped or systems compromised?
   ├── Ransomware / suspected data theft → Level 3 minimum
   ├── Shipping stopped at either plant → Level 3
   ├── Shipping delayed < [X] hours → Level 2
   └── No ↓

4. Does it involve one of the two largest retail accounts?
   ├── Formal termination / non-renewal notice → Level 3 (Level 4 if covenant pressure)
   ├── Formal performance concern → Level 2
   └── No ↓

5. Visibility check (can raise the level, never lower it):
   ├── Regulator contact or inquiry → at least Level 3
   ├── Media inquiry (local or trade) → at least Level 2
   ├── Social post gaining traction / tagging a retailer → at least Level 2
   └── Union local raising it formally → at least Level 2

When in doubt, classify one level higher. De-escalating later costs little;
under-reacting cost us 31 hours and a retailer relationship in 2025.

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4. Response Team and Decision Rights

4.1 Core team (activated at Level 3+)

Single-point-of-failure warning: today the plan rests on five people, with no communications staff and no named backups for Food Safety, Legal, or Customer roles. Section 11 lists the gaps to close before Q1 2027.

4.2 Extended team (activated as needed)

4.3 Decision rights

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5. Escalation Protocol

Stages: Detection → Assessment (0:15) → Classification (0:15–0:30) → Activation (0:30) → Response (0:45 onward).
Documentation: from 0:00 the Communications Lead keeps a time-stamped log of what was known, when it was known, who decided what, and what was sent to whom. Counsel advises on privilege, including whether the log should be kept at counsel's direction (CONFIRM WITH COUNSEL).

5.1 Level 3+ timeline

If the story gets out first (a social post, a reporter's call): steps stay in the same order but compress. Employee notice and the big-two calls happen within 30 minutes, and the holding statement is used reactively right away.

5.2 Escalation triggers

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6. Stakeholder Communication Plans

Order at Level 3+: (1) employees, including the union local where relevant → (2) board → (3) big-two buyers → (4) other chains and distributors → (5) public release: consumers, media, website, social. Regulators are notified on their legal clock, separately from this order. The lender is notified on the credit agreement's terms.

6.1 Employees (900)

Information needs: what happened, whether they and their food/workplace are safe, what changes for their shift, pay and job, what to say if asked, where updates will come from.

Channels: text alert (about 70% enrolled) + supervisor huddle on every shift (the only way to reach the ~30% not enrolled) + break-room screens + email for HQ.

Priority / timing: first, before any external communication, normally by 1:00. Updates at every shift change while the incident is active.

Who communicates: Daniel Reyes-Hart signs the message. Nadia Fairweather sends it. Supervisors deliver huddle talking points word for word.

Template — text alert (keep under 300 characters):

Ashgrove update from Daniel Reyes-Hart: We are dealing with [one-line description]
at [site]. [Safety line if relevant.] Your supervisor will brief your shift today.
Please don't post or comment publicly; send media/customer questions to [contact].
Updates: [screen / next text time].

Template — supervisor huddle talking points (read as written):

1. What we know: [2–3 confirmed facts — no cause, no names]
2. What we're doing: [2–3 actions]
3. What we don't know yet: [1–2 items] — we'll update you at [time/next shift].
4. What this means for you today: [shift, line, pay, safety changes, or "no change"]
5. If anyone outside asks (reporters, neighbors, customers, online):
   "The company is handling it and will share updates" — then refer them to [contact].
   Please don't post about it; that protects your coworkers and the people affected.
6. Questions you can't answer: write them down and send them to Nadia Fairweather.

Template — written message (email / screens / posted copy):

Subject: Important update from Daniel Reyes-Hart

Team,

I want you to hear this from me before you hear it anywhere else.

What we know:
- [Fact 1]
- [Fact 2]

What we're doing:
- [Action 1]
- [Action 2]

What we don't know yet:
- [Unknown] — we expect to know more by [time].

What this means for you:
- [Direct impact, or "No change to your shift or pay."]

If you are contacted by a reporter, customer, or anyone outside Ashgrove, please don't
comment — refer them to [contact]. Please don't post about this online.

You will get the next update [at your next shift huddle / by text at time].

Daniel Reyes-Hart

6.2 Union local (Carver Falls)

Information needs: facts that affect members, safety measures, contract-related impacts, investigation process and their role in it.

Channel: a phone call from Nadia Fairweather to the local's leadership (name NOT PROVIDED), followed by a written note.

Timing: before or at the same time as Carver Falls employees, never after. Any notice or consultation duties in the collective agreement apply in addition to this plan (CONFIRM WITH COUNSEL).

• Who communicates: Nadia Fairweather. Daniel Reyes-Hart joins at Level 4.

Template — written follow-up:

To: [Union local leadership name and title]
From: Nadia Fairweather, HR Director

Following our call at [time], I'm confirming what we shared:
- Situation: [confirmed facts]
- Effect on Carver Falls members: [shifts, safety measures, or "none at this time"]
- What we are doing: [actions]
- Next update: [time]
We will brief employees at Carver Falls at [time] via [huddles/text]. I'd welcome your
input on [specific item]. My direct line: [number].

6.3 Retail customers (14 chains, each with a named category buyer)

Information needs: whether product on their shelves or in their DCs is affected (lot codes, dates), what they should do (pull, hold, sell through), effect on supply, who their single contact is, when the next update comes.

Channel: a phone call to the named buyer, followed within 30 minutes by an email with the specifics. A buyer contact sheet (buyer, backup contact, mobile, after-hours number, the chain's own recall/food safety contact) is kept and checked quarterly. Status: NOT PROVIDED, to be built.

Order: the two largest accounts first (Daniel Reyes-Hart), then the remaining 12 (Customer Lead). All calls are finished before the public release.

Who communicates: Daniel Reyes-Hart (big two). Customer Lead (others). Samuel Achterberg joins calls where the chain's food safety team asks technical questions.

Template — buyer call script (90 seconds):

"[Buyer name], it's [name] at Ashgrove. I'm calling you directly before anything is public.
We are [initiating a voluntary recall of / dealing with] [product/situation].
Affected: [products, lot codes, best-by dates] — [or: shipments from date to date].
What we're asking you to do: [pull / hold / no action].
Supply impact: [expected / not yet known — update by time].
I'll email the details within 30 minutes, and [your single contact] is your point person.
What do you need from us?"

Template — follow-up email:

Subject: Ashgrove Kitchen Co. — [Recall / Supply] notice — [product/situation] — action [requested/not required]

[Buyer name],

As discussed at [time], [Ashgrove Kitchen Co. is voluntarily recalling / is experiencing]
[product/situation].

Affected product: [item name, UPC, lot codes, best-by dates, case quantity]
Action requested: [pull from shelf and hold / destroy / no action]
Reason: [as confirmed by Quality — e.g., "label does not declare (allergen)"]
Consumer guidance we are issuing: [summary + hotline number]
Supply impact: [details / "update by (time)"]
Credit / reimbursement process: [details or "to follow by (date)"]
Your single point of contact: [name, mobile, email]
Next update: [time]

[Sender name, title]

6.4 Foodservice distributors (6)

Information needs: the same as retail, plus downstream operator notification (who tells restaurants and other operators), affected codes in their warehouses, and substitute supply.

Channel: a phone call to the account contact, followed by an email. The distributor contact sheet is NOT PROVIDED.

• Timing: in the same window as the 12 chains (1:30–2:30), before the public release.
• Who communicates: Customer Lead.

Template: use the retail follow-up email with these lines added: "Please confirm whether you will notify your operator customers or would like us to provide notification language: [attached operator notice]." and "Substitute product available: [yes/no/details]."

6.5 Consumers (packaging hotline and website, about 2,000 calls/month)

Information needs: whether their product is affected (how to check the lot code), what to do, refund/replacement, who to call if someone has eaten it and feels unwell.

Channels: a pre-built recall/statement webpage (unpublished until needed, owner NOT PROVIDED), hotline recorded message and agent script, packaging hotline number in every statement.

• Timing: at the public release (about 2:30), after employees and trade customers.

Who communicates: the hotline team using the approved script. The webpage is published by the website owner on Daniel Reyes-Hart's approval.

Capacity: normal volume is about 2,000 calls/month. Surge capacity during a recall is NOT PROVIDED (Open Items).

Template — hotline agent script:

"Thank you for calling Ashgrove Kitchen Co. [If recall:] We have issued a voluntary recall of
[product] with [lot code / best-by date] because [approved reason].
- To check your package: [where the lot code is printed].
- If yours is affected: please don't eat it. [Return to place of purchase / discard] — [refund process].
- If you or someone in your household has eaten it and has [allergy] or feels unwell,
  please contact a doctor.
- Can I take your details so we can [send a refund / follow up]?"
Escalate to Samuel Achterberg's team immediately: any report of illness or allergic reaction,
any caller who says they are a reporter, lawyer, or regulator.
Do not: speculate on cause, discuss other products' safety beyond the approved line, or
mention any employee or supplier.

6.6 Board (6 directors: 4 family, 2 independent)

Information needs: severity, effect on customers and finances, legal and regulatory exposure, what management is doing, decisions needed from the board.

Channel: a phone call to the chair (NOT PROVIDED) for Level 4, then an email to all six directors. Level 3: email, plus calls offered.

Timing: after employees and before external communication where possible (1:15). Level 4 chair call within 1 hour.

• Who communicates: Daniel Reyes-Hart. Owen Malick handles logistics and follow-up materials.

Equal treatment: the two independent directors get the same information at the same moment as the family directors.

Template — board alert:

Subject: Board Alert — [Level] — [incident type]

Directors,

I'm alerting you to [incident type] that we are managing now.

Summary: [2–3 sentences of confirmed facts]
Severity: Level [N] — [rationale]
Potential impact:
- Customers: [assessment]
- Financial: [assessment — Owen Malick]
- Legal/regulatory: [assessment — counsel]
- Employees/union: [assessment]
- Reputation/media: [assessment]
Our response: [actions underway]
Decisions needed from the board: [none / list]
Next update: [time]. Please call me directly with questions; please don't comment externally.

Daniel Reyes-Hart

6.7 Lender (one bank, quarterly covenant reporting)

• Information needs: financial and operational impact, effect on covenant compliance, how management is responding.
• Channel: a call from Owen Malick to the relationship manager (NOT PROVIDED), followed by a written note.

Timing: Level 3+ with material financial impact, and every Level 4. The timing and content of any required notice depend on the credit agreement (CONFIRM WITH COUNSEL). Without such a clause, the lender should hear from Owen Malick before reading about it.

• Who communicates: Owen Malick.

Template — lender note:

[Relationship manager name],

Following our call, I'm confirming that Ashgrove Kitchen Co. is managing [incident type],
which began on [date].
Current status: [confirmed facts]
Operational impact: [shipping, plants]
Estimated financial impact: [range or "being assessed — update by (date)"]
Covenant view: [assessment, as reviewed with counsel]
Next update: [date]

Owen Malick, CFO

6.8 Food safety regulators

Information needs, format and timing: set by the regulators and by law. Your food safety team says they know the recall notification timelines. Those timelines have not been written into this plan. Before adoption, Samuel Achterberg's team records each regulator, contact route, trigger, deadline and required content in Appendix A, and counsel confirms them (CONFIRM WITH COUNSEL).

• Who communicates: Samuel Achterberg.

Relation to this plan: regulatory notification runs on its own clock and is never held back to fit the employee/customer sequence. Public statements about a recall must match what was filed with regulators. Samuel Achterberg checks every recall statement against the filing.

Template — internal regulator-notification checklist (not a message):

[ ] Regulator(s): [name] — trigger met? [Y/N] — deadline: [CONFIRM] — submitted at: [time]
[ ] Content required: [per Appendix A]
[ ] Counsel reviewed: [Y/N, time]
[ ] Public statement wording matches filing: [Y/N]

6.9 Local and trade media

• Information needs: facts, effect on consumers and the community, what the company is doing, who is accountable.

Channels: a reactive statement emailed to reporters who ask. Proactive release to the two plant-town papers and trade press only at Level 3+ public-safety events (recall), or where counsel and Daniel Reyes-Hart decide a proactive release limits damage.

• Spokesperson: see Section 8.

Timing: after employees and trade customers. Reporter calls are returned within 1 hour, using the holding statement if nothing newer is approved.

Intake: every media call goes to the Communications Lead. The person who answers says: "I'm not the right person to answer, but I'll make sure the right person calls you back within the hour. What's your deadline?" and logs name, outlet, number, deadline and question.

Template — media holding statement: see Section 7 for each scenario.

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7. Scenario Holding Statements

Rules for all statements

Approval: Daniel Reyes-Hart is the single approver. Counsel and the subject-area VP review

in parallel within a 30-minute window, and comments come back as notes, not rewrites. If Daniel is unreachable for 15 minutes, Ingrid Castellano approves.

Pre-clearance: counsel reviews and clears these templates before adoption (target: December 2026), so that at incident time counsel checks only the bracketed facts.

Tone: plain, human, calm. Lead with the people affected, then the action, then the commitment to update. No legal terms, no corporate filler.

• Every initial statement must be releasable within 30 minutes of approval and say only: what we are aware of, what we are doing, what people should do, and when we will update next.

7.1 Scenario 1 — Product recall (undeclared allergen or foreign material)

Initial holding statement (consumers / media / website):

Ashgrove Kitchen Co. is voluntarily recalling [quantity] of [product name, size] with
[lot code(s) / best-by date(s)] because [reason as confirmed by Quality — e.g., "the product
may contain (allergen), which is not declared on the label" / "the product may contain
(type of foreign material)"].

[If allergen:] People with an allergy or sensitivity to [allergen] should not eat this product.
[If foreign material:] Consumers should not eat this product.

The product was sold [at retail stores / through foodservice] in [regions/states].
[Lot code is printed on: location on package.]

Consumers who have this product should [return it to the place of purchase for a full refund /
discard it] and may contact us at [hotline number], [hours], or [website URL].

[Only if verified and time-stamped by Samuel Achterberg: "As of (time/date), we have received
(no reports / (number) reports) of (illness/reaction) associated with this product."]

We are working with [retail partners and food safety regulators] and will post updates at
[website URL].

Samuel Achterberg checks the wording against the regulatory filing before release. Some regulators require specific recall release content or formats (CONFIRM WITH COUNSEL / Appendix A).

Expanded statement framework (within 24–48 hours):

1. Restate the recall: product, codes, distribution, consumer action.
2. What we have done: [product removed from distribution; production of [product] [paused / continuing with (confirmed corrective action)]].
3. What we know about how it happened: only what the investigation has

confirmed, in neutral, process-level terms ("a labeling error in [process step]"). No individuals.
4. What we are changing: [confirmed corrective actions].
5. Other products: the approved line from Samuel Achterberg on whether other products are affected.
6. Contact and update commitment.

Do not say:

• "Out of an abundance of caution" or "precautionary", unless counsel and Samuel Achterberg agree it is accurate. It can read as playing the problem down.
• "No illnesses have been reported", unless verified and time-stamped.
• "Isolated", "minor", "small number", "limited", before the scope is confirmed.
• "Human error", "an employee", "a supplier", "a co-packer", or anything that assigns blame.
• "All our other products are safe" as a blanket claim. Use only Samuel Achterberg's approved, specific line.
• Any cause not yet confirmed. Any statement that differs from the regulatory filing.
• Anything that names a retail customer as the source of the problem.

Distribution: employees (6.1) → board (6.6) → big-two buyers → other chains and distributors → website page, hotline message, media, social. Regulators per Appendix A.

7.2 Scenario 2 — Ransomware or ERP outage stopping shipping

Initial holding statement (customers / media, reactive):

Ashgrove Kitchen Co. is experiencing a disruption to [some of our computer systems / our
order and shipping systems] that began on [date]. We took immediate steps to [contain the
issue / protect our systems] and are working with [outside specialists] to restore normal
operations.

[Food safety line — only if confirmed by Samuel Achterberg: "Food safety controls at our plants
operate (independently of these systems / under our backup procedures), and product quality
is not affected."]

We are in direct contact with our customers about orders and deliveries and will share
updates as we restore service. [For order questions, customers should contact: (out-of-band
contact).]

Customer-facing variant (buyers and distributors, by phone first):

"Our [order/shipping] systems are down as of [time]. Orders affected: [scope / not yet known].
We are [shipping manually / holding shipments] — next confirmed shipment window: [time or
'update by time']. Your contact while email is down is [name, mobile]."

Expanded statement framework:

1. What is restored and what is not (systems confirmed by the IT lead only).
2. Effect on customers: shipments, fill rates, recovery plan, by customer.
3. Data:

only what counsel and the forensic investigation have confirmed. If personal data is involved, notifications follow counsel's guidance (CONFIRM WITH COUNSEL).
4. Employees: pay and scheduling continuity (Nadia Fairweather / Owen Malick).
5. What we are doing to prevent a repeat (general terms only. Never security specifics).

Do not say:

• "Sophisticated attack", "nation-state", or any attacker identity or motive.
• "No data was accessed / taken", unless forensics have confirmed it and counsel approves.
• Anything about whether a ransom was demanded, paid or considered.
• A restoration date or time the IT lead has not confirmed.
• "Our systems are fully secure."
• "An employee clicked a link" or anything that blames individuals or vendors.

Out-of-band requirement: email and ERP may be unavailable. Keep a printed and offline contact sheet for the crisis team, buyers, distributors, the union local, the board and the lender, and check it quarterly. Whether the text alert system is hosted outside Ashgrove's network is NOT PROVIDED (Open Items).

Distribution: employees (text + huddles: shifts, pay) → board → big-two buyers → other customers (phone) → reactive media statement only, unless the outage becomes public.

7.3 Scenario 3 — Serious worker injury

Before any statement: the injured worker's family is contacted by Nadia Fairweather or the plant manager (in person or by phone, never by text). At Carver Falls, the union local is notified. No external statement is issued until the family has been reached, unless media are already reporting.

Initial holding statement (reactive, local media):

An employee at our [Millbrook / Carver Falls] plant was [injured / taken to hospital] on
[date] [during the (shift)]. Our first concern is for our colleague and their family, and we
are supporting them.

[Production on (line/area) has been (paused / resumed)] while we [review what happened /
work with the appropriate authorities]. Out of respect for our colleague's privacy, we will
not share personal or medical details.

Expanded statement framework:

1. Care and support for the worker and family (with the family's consent for any detail).
2. Support for coworkers (EAP or counseling, if available, NOT PROVIDED).
3. Investigation: who is reviewing (internal / regulators / union safety committee, if applicable). No findings until confirmed.
4. Safety actions taken (confirmed only).
5. If a regulator is involved: "We are cooperating fully with [agency]." Any workplace-safety reporting duty and its deadline: CONFIRM WITH COUNSEL.

Do not say:

• The worker's name, age, role, condition or prognosis, without the family's explicit consent.
• "Freak accident", "unfortunate accident", "the employee failed to follow procedure", or any cause.
• "We followed all safety procedures" or "we have an excellent safety record", during an active incident.
• "Safety is our top priority" as the opening line. It sounds defensive. Show it through actions.
• Anything about liability, insurance or compensation.

Distribution: family → union local (Carver Falls) → plant employees (huddles at every shift) → all employees (text) → board → reactive local media statement. Customers only if supply is affected.

7.4 Scenario 4 — Loss of a major retail account (no proactive public statement)

Internal and stakeholder lines (not a press release):
Order: board → employees → lender → reactive trade press only.

• Board (first): use the board alert (6.6) with Owen Malick's revenue, margin and covenant analysis.

Employees (before any external party, including the lender): Nadia Fairweather and Daniel Reyes-Hart, before the news can spread:

"[Retailer] has decided [not to renew / to change] our [category] business, effective [date].
Here's what we know about the impact: [volumes, plants affected, or 'we are still assessing'].
Here's what we're doing: [plan]. [Job impact: only confirmed facts. If any workforce
reduction is considered, a separate plan with legal review applies.] You'll hear more from me
by [date]."

• Lender: Owen Malick, after employees and as the credit agreement requires (CONFIRM WITH COUNSEL).
• Reactive media / trade press line:

"We don't comment on individual customer relationships. Ashgrove Kitchen Co. continues to
supply [number] grocery chains and foodservice distributors, and our focus is on serving
them well."

Do not say: anything critical of the retailer. Speculation about layoffs or plant futures. The account's revenue share. "We expected this" or "we chose to walk away", unless true and approved. Any workforce reduction is a separate, legally reviewed communication (CONFIRM WITH COUNSEL on notice requirements).

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8. Spokesperson Guidance and Q&A

8.1 Approved spokespeople

Nobody else, including board members, supervisors and plant staff, speaks to media about an incident. Board members who are contacted refer to Daniel Reyes-Hart. No comments off the record or on background, ever.

8.2 Do's and don'ts

Do: stay with the approved message. Show concern for the people affected first. Say what you know, what you don't know, and when you'll know more. Commit to a specific update time and keep it. Use plain words. Pause before answering.

Don't: speculate on cause or blame anyone. Give numbers that are not verified. Say "no comment" (say "we're still confirming that, and I'll update you by [time]"). Answer hypotheticals. Repeat a reporter's loaded words. Promise outcomes. Use legal language. Guess.

8.3 Bridge phrases

• "What I can tell you right now is…"
• "The most important thing for consumers to know is…"
• "Our focus today is on [the people affected / getting the product off shelves]."
• "I don't have a confirmed answer yet. I'll update you by [time]."
• "I can't speak to that, but what I can tell you is…"

8.4 Anticipated questions and approved answers

8.5 Media training

Daniel Reyes-Hart, Ingrid Castellano and Samuel Achterberg receive on-camera and phone media training in January 2027 (provider NOT PROVIDED). Refresher every January.

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9. Social Media and Monitoring Plan

The 2025 recall was first seen by a retailer on a consumer's social post. Monitoring is the detection layer that was missing.

• Monitoring owner: NOT PROVIDED (Open Items). Interim: the Communications Lead at Level 2+.

What to monitor: "Ashgrove", brand and product names, "Ashgrove recall", "Ashgrove [allergen]", plant-town names together with "plant", "injury", "ambulance". Mentions that tag a retail chain together with an Ashgrove product. The two local papers and frozen-food trade press.

Tools: NOT PROVIDED. Free keyword alerts are the minimum. Whether Ashgrove has its own social accounts is NOT PROVIDED.

• Cadence: daily check in normal times. Every 2 hours at Level 2. Hourly at Level 3+.

Response authority: no social reply without an approved statement. Posts and replies use only approved language and link to the website statement.

Respond / monitor / ignore decision tree

Does the post allege a safety issue (allergen, foreign object, illness, injury)?
├── Yes → Escalate to Samuel Achterberg + Communications Lead within 30 minutes.
│         Reply privately: "We take this seriously — please contact [hotline] so our
│         food safety team can follow up." Do not debate publicly. Log it.
└── No ↓

Is it tied to an active incident?
├── Yes → Reply only with approved statement + link. Crisis team informed.
└── No ↓

Is it from a retailer, reporter, regulator, union, or employee account — or spreading fast?
├── Yes → Escalate to Communications Lead → Level 2 minimum.
└── No ↓

Does it contain material misinformation (wrong product, wrong lot, false illness claim)?
├── Yes → One factual correction with link; no back-and-forth.
└── No → Monitor and log. Ignore ordinary complaints except routing to the hotline.

Every decision — respond, monitor, ignore — is logged with time and reason.

Employee posts: the employee templates ask staff not to post. If an employee posts about an incident, Nadia Fairweather handles it under existing HR policy. Do not respond to it publicly.

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10. Post-Crisis Review and Drill Calendar

10.1 Stand-down criteria (all must be true; Daniel Reyes-Hart declares)

• The safety risk is removed (product retrieved or destroyed, the hazard fixed, systems restored and verified).
• Regulatory notifications are complete and no open regulatory actions require crisis-team pace.
• Customers are back to normal service, or have an agreed recovery plan.
• Media and social volume have been back to baseline for [48 hours].
• A stand-down notice has gone to employees (first), the board, customers and the lender (where notified).
• The post-crisis review is scheduled before stand-down.

10.2 Post-crisis review (within 2 weeks of stand-down)

Participants: core team, the relevant extended team, counsel (for privilege), and the union local where an incident involved Carver Falls (CONFIRM: whether to invite them).

1. Detection: how did we learn about it? Could we have known sooner?
2. Assessment: did we classify it correctly and escalate in time?

Response speed: times for detection → activation → employee notice → buyer calls → public statement. Were the targets met?
4. Message quality: were statements accurate, consistent and understood? Did any need correcting?
5. Coordination: where did handoffs fail? How many review cycles did statements go through?
6.

Stakeholder impact: how did employees, the union, buyers, distributors, consumers, the board and the lender react?
7. Outcome: what was the business, regulatory and reputational impact?
8. What worked: what do we keep?
9. What didn't: what do we change?
10. Actions: specific improvements, each with an owner and date, and plan sections updated within 30 days.

Output: a post-crisis report, prepared under counsel's guidance on privilege, plus a log of changes to this playbook.

10.3 Drill measures (scored every time)

10.4 Readiness before 2027 (Q4 2026)

10.5 2027 drill and maintenance calendar

The 2027 retail renewal dates were NOT PROVIDED. The calendar front-loads the recall drills so both are done in the first half of the year. Move them earlier if a big-two renewal falls before June.

Update triggers outside the calendar: any real incident (Level 2+), a change of anyone in a core role, a new plant or major customer, a change of law firm or regulator requirement, a renewal outcome with a big-two account.
Version control: one master copy owned by the Communications Lead. Each version has a number and date. Printed copies (for outages) are replaced at each version.

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11. Open Items

Roles and people (NOT PROVIDED)

1. Who is the permanent

Communications Lead (drafter and keeper of the time log)? Do you accept the interim Nadia Fairweather (internal) / Owen Malick (external) split, or do you want an outside crisis-communications firm on retainer?
2. Who owns the

relationships with the 14 category buyers and 6 distributors day to day, and who backs them up? The interim plan puts this on Daniel Reyes-Hart and Ingrid Castellano.
3. Who is Samuel Achterberg's deputy for product holds and regulatory notifications when he is unavailable?
4. Who is the

backup for Ingrid Castellano as Operations Lead? What are the names of the

Millbrook and Carver Falls plant managers?
5. Who is the IT/ERP lead? Is there an outside incident response firm?
6. Which

partner at the outside law firm is the crisis contact, and who backs them up? Will the firm commit to a 30-minute review window?
7. Who is the board chair?
8. Who owns the consumer hotline, the website, and social monitoring?
9. Who is the lender's relationship manager, and who leads the union local at Carver Falls?

CONFIRM WITH COUNSEL
10.

Food safety notification timelines: the food safety team says they know them. Please have them write every regulator, trigger, deadline and required content into Appendix A, and have counsel confirm it, before December 2026. This plan contains no regulatory deadlines.
11. Do any workplace-safety reporting duties apply to a serious injury, and with what deadlines?
12.

Data and ransomware: if employee or customer personal data is involved, what notification duties apply? What is the position on law enforcement contact? What is the policy on ransom?
13.

Credit agreement: do any notice clauses (material adverse change, operational disruption, customer loss) require notifying the lender outside quarterly reporting?
14.

Collective agreement: does it set notice or consultation duties to the union local for incidents, investigations, or schedule changes?
15. Workforce reduction: if an account loss leads to job cuts, what notice obligations apply?
16. Privilege: should the incident time log and the post-crisis reports be prepared at counsel's direction?
17. Recall statements: do your regulators require specific press-release content or formats?

Business decisions
18. What are the 2027 renewal dates for the two largest accounts? The drill calendar may need to move earlier.
19. Set the

[X] thresholds: the shipping-delay hours that move an outage from Level 2 to Level 3 and Level 3 to Level 4 (based on inventory cover).
20.

Hotline surge capacity: how many calls a day can the hotline handle in a recall (normal is about 2,000 a month), and what is the overflow plan?
21. Is the

text alert system hosted outside Ashgrove's network, so it works during ransomware? What enrollment target should we set above about 70%?
22. Does Ashgrove have its own social media accounts?
23. Is an employee assistance program available for coworkers after a serious injury?
24. Should

union leadership take part in the Carver Falls injury tabletop and in post-crisis reviews of incidents there?
25. Which media training provider should be used?

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Appendix A — Regulatory notification register (to be completed by the food safety team and confirmed by counsel)