Crisis & Issue Response Planner
Respond to a product issue fast, calm, and credible.
What is the Crisis & Issue Response Planner?
The Crisis & Issue Response Planner is a free AI skill that helps a food or beverage brand respond to a product issue — a recall, a contamination scare, a viral complaint, or a social backlash — quickly, calmly, and credibly. You describe the situation, who's affected, and what you know so far; it returns a structured response — an honest holding statement, tailored messages for the stakeholders who matter (consumers, retailers, employees, media), a sequenced action plan, the do's and don'ts of crisis tone, and a clear list of the experts you must loop in before anything goes out. It is built for brand and comms teams who need a calm starting point in a stressful moment, not a blank page. Rather than spin, it leads with accountability and consumer safety, because that's what protects trust. It is explicitly not legal, PR, or food-safety advice — it flags where you must involve those experts. Pair it with real consumer-conversation data so you can gauge how the issue is actually spreading and where to respond first.
Who it's for
- Brand and comms teams facing a product issue
- Founders handling their first recall or backlash
- Marketing leads who own social in a crisis
- Insights teams monitoring how an issue is spreading
What you get
- An honest, fast holding statement
- Tailored messages by stakeholder (consumers, retailers, media, staff)
- A sequenced response action plan
- Crisis tone do's and don'ts
- A list of experts to loop in before publishing
- A monitoring and follow-up plan
How to use it
- 1Paste the prompt into ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini.
- 2Describe the situation, who's affected and what you know.
- 3Answer its clarifying questions.
- 4Route everything to legal, PR and food-safety experts before publishing.
See it in action
Example input
Situation: fictional 'PureBite' granola — a supplier flagged a possible undeclared-nut cross-contamination in one batch. No illnesses reported yet. Affected: one production lot in two regions. We need to act fast and responsibly. We have a small team and no crisis playbook.
Example output
Crisis response — PureBite possible undeclared-nut cross-contamination FIRST, before anything public: Loop in NOW — food-safety/QA, legal/regulatory, and your retailers. An allergen issue is a safety matter; their guidance shapes everything below. This skill is a starting draft, not a substitute for them. Holding statement (consumer-facing, honest + fast): "We've identified a possible allergen (nut) cross-contamination affecting a single batch of PureBite granola [lot number, regions]. Out of an abundance of caution, we are [recalling / advising customers not to consume] this lot. If you have a nut allergy and bought [product, lot], do not eat it — [return for a full refund / dispose of it]. Your safety is our priority and we are acting immediately. For questions: [contact]." (Lead with the affected consumer and the action; no minimizing.) Stakeholder messages: - Consumers (allergy-affected first): clear lot ID, what to do, refund path, contact. - Retailers: lot details, your action, what you need them to do (remove the lot), your point of contact. - Employees: the facts + a single approved line so everyone says the same thing; route inquiries to one owner. - Media (if it surfaces): the holding statement + a named spokesperson; never "no comment." Action plan (sequenced): 1. Contain: confirm lot scope with QA; halt affected distribution. 2. Align: legal + regulatory sign-off on wording and recall scope. 3. Notify: retailers, then consumers, then (if needed) media — fast and consistent. 4. Support: stand up a contact/refund process. 5. Resolve & follow up: root cause, fix, and a follow-up statement. Tone do's & don'ts: - DO: be fast, factual, accountable; center consumer safety. - DO: say what you ARE DOING, not just that you're "aware." - DON'T: minimize, speculate on cause, blame the supplier publicly, or go silent. - DON'T: publish anything before expert sign-off. Monitoring & follow-up: - Track mentions and consumer questions; respond consistently. - Prepare an update for when the issue is resolved (close the loop publicly). Experts to loop in (mandatory before publishing): Food-safety/QA, legal/regulatory, your retail partners, and PR if you have it. Want a short social-post version and a customer-service FAQ to match?
The prompt
Here's the start of the prompt. Download the free bundle for the full, ready-to-paste version — plus the installable Claude Skill and Custom-GPT instructions.
# Role You are a food & beverage crisis communications advisor. In a product issue you lead with consumer safety and accountability, move fast, and stay factual. You are NOT a substitute for legal, regulatory, food-safety, or PR experts, and you always say so. # Context I'll provide - The situation: [WHAT HAPPENED] - Who/what is affected: [PRODUCTS, LOTS, REGIONS, PEOPLE] - What I know so far (and don't): [FACTS / UNKNOWNS] - Severity (illnesses? safety risk?): [SEVERITY] # Your task 1. If the situation, who's affected, or severity is unclear, ask up to 3 clarifying questions first. 2. State up front the experts that must be looped in before anything goes public.
Frequently asked questions
- Can AI handle my crisis communications?
- It can give you a fast, structured starting draft — a holding statement, stakeholder messages, and an action plan — when you're staring at a blank page in a stressful moment. But it is explicitly not a substitute for legal, regulatory, food-safety, or PR experts, and the skill repeatedly tells you to get their sign-off before anything goes public.
- What should a holding statement do?
- A good holding statement is fast, honest, and centered on the affected consumer: it states what's happening, what you're doing about it, and what the consumer should do — without minimizing, speculating on cause, or assigning blame. This skill drafts one in that shape, leading with safety and accountability because that's what protects trust.
- Does it cover more than consumers?
- Yes. It drafts tailored messages for every stakeholder who matters in a product issue — consumers first, then retailers, employees, and media — because each needs different information and they must all hear a consistent story. It also sequences who to notify in what order, which is critical in a recall.
- What does it tell me NOT to do?
- It's explicit about crisis don'ts: don't minimize the issue, don't speculate on the cause, don't blame your supplier publicly, don't go silent or say 'no comment,' and never publish before expert sign-off. These are the mistakes that turn a manageable issue into a trust crisis, so the skill flags them up front.
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