SPRINGDALE, Ark. – After searching for a firm to handle its growing public relations needs, a Tyson Foods spokesman confirmed that the company has selected St. Louis-based Fleishman-Hillard. A story published by Ad Age implied the decision to work with the agency was strictly for crisis management.

Worth Sparkman told Meatpoultry.com the goal of the partnership with Fleishman-Hillard is not one dimensional.

“We expect them to help us in many areas, including issues management, social and digital media strategies, corporate image and the like,” Sparkman wrote in an e-mail. “Contrary to yesterday’s headline in an online trade magazine’s story, they have not been hired simply to do ‘crisis-PR’,” he concluded.