The Right Moves, Baby

Craig E. Weatherup remembers the moment well. It was the evening of June 14, and "I was in my backyard trying to help my wife clean up some hedge trimmings," says the chief executive of Pepsi-Cola North America. "I got a call from the commissioner of the FDA. I'd never met David Kessler or talked to him, but it was clear we knew the same thing: that for this to be happening defied logic."

So began an intriguing, crucial partnership between government and industry. The weekend before, newspapers in Seattle and New Orleans had carried reports of people who claimed they had found syringes in Pepsi cans. By June 23, more than 50 people would come forward with similar stories. No matter that logic was lacking: The reports had taken on a panicky tone. In the end, though, real panic never set in--partly because the consumer reports were mostly fraudulent. But it's due also to the effective linkup between Pepsi-Cola and the Food & Drug Administration.