The Challenge

A food and drink company specialising in milkshake products wanted to improve its crisis management capability. Following insurer recommendations, the organisation recognised the need for a more structured approach to risk assessment, incident response, business continuity and crisis communications.

As a consumer-facing food and drink business, the company needed to be prepared for a range of potential scenarios, including product quality issues, supply chain disruption, operational incidents, health and safety events, reputational threats and business interruption.

The organisation required a Crisis Management Plan that reflected its risk profile, operational capability and need for rapid, coordinated decision-making during disruptive events.

Our Approach

Horizonscan began by reviewing the company’s existing documents, processes and crisis response arrangements. This helped establish the current level of preparedness and identify gaps in governance, escalation, communication and recovery planning.

Using the findings from the review, Horizonscan developed a Crisis Management Plan tailored to the organisation’s needs. The plan provided a structured framework for managing incidents, escalating issues, assigning roles and responsibilities and coordinating internal and external communication.

The Crisis Management Plan focused on:

  • Rapid response to emerging incidents.
  • Clear escalation and decision-making protocols.
  • Protection of health, safety and welfare.
  • Maintenance of operational continuity.
  • Effective communication with staff, customers, suppliers, insurers and stakeholders.
  • Recovery planning to minimise long-term disruption.

Delivering a clear, structured approach to managing disruption and protecting reputation.

The Outcome

The company gained a structured Crisis Management Plan designed to improve its ability to respond to and recover from disruptive events. The plan provided greater clarity around escalation, roles, communication and operational priorities.

By integrating good practice principles into the crisis management framework, the organisation became better equipped to protect people, maintain continuity, reduce operational disruption and safeguard brand reputation.

The work also helped the business move from a reactive approach to a more proactive and coordinated model of crisis preparedness.