 Marketing executive Edward Gelsthorpe was hired by the company in 1963, having worked in the marketing and product development areas at Bristol-Myers.Gelsthorpe's focus was to expand the company's product base, recognizing that there was no way to convince people to "eat cranberry sauce every time you have chicken", no matter how much money was spent on advertising.The company was struggling with a seasonal product and had been hit by consumer fears after a 1959 government warning that chemicals sprayed on the cranberries could cause cancer.