Abstract

The case discusses the crisis faced by Coca-Cola in Europe, particularly Belgium, in which people mostly school children fell ill after consuming its products in mid-1999. Coca-Cola had to recall about 30 million cans and bottles, the largest ever product recall in its 113-year history. For the first time, the entire inventory of Coca-Cola’s products in Belgium was banned from sale. The case describes the crisis in detail and discusses how Coca-Cola managed it. The way Coca-Cola handled the Belgian crisis was a classic example of one of the worst public relations fiascos in the corporate history. The case also highlights the need and importance of a crisis management plan to prevent such fiascos in future.

Learning Objectives

The case is structured to achieve the following Learning Objectives:

• Crisis Management, Understanding the public relation issues involved in Coca-Cola’s Belgian crisis.

Keywords

Case, Coca-Cola in Belgium, Public Relations, Crisis Management, Product Recall, Douglas Ivester, Coca-Cola European Crisis, Quality Problems, Safety of Packaged Foods, Ban on Coke Sales, The Coca-Cola Promise, Coca-Cola Quality Statement, Coca-Cola Safety Policy, Business Ethics