Whole Foods Market has abruptly reversed course on a dress code policy that prevented its employees in Canada from wearing poppies at work following widespread outrage that reached as far as Parliament Hill.

“Our intention was never to single out the poppy or to suggest a lack of support for Remembrance Day and the heroes who have bravely served their country,” a company spokesperson wrote in a mid-afternoon statement Friday. “We appreciate the thoughtful feedback we have received from our customers.”

The spokesperson said that the company is now “welcoming team members to wear the poppy pin in honour of Remembrance Day.”

The public relations fiasco was not a good look for Whole Foods, according to a crisis communications expert.

“If you want to talk about great ways to take your brand value and your reputation and your credibility with Canadians and light some of it on fire, this has got to be up there,” said Wojtek Dabrowski, managing partner at Provident Communications.

“If you think of the decision at head-office level in the United States that Whole Foods would have been making about its policy, I bet you Remembrance Day didn’t even cross their minds, unless there was a Canadian at the table, in which case we should probably be asking a couple questions of that Canadian. But, the reality is… these things need to fully consider – start to finish, from inception to implementation – the local cultural significance of the impact you might have by following these rules blindly.”

The company’s capitulation came after an uproar that included a response from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

“I think Whole Foods has made a silly mistake that I am hoping they will correct very quickly,” Trudeau told reporters Friday prior to Whole Foods’ reversal. “Our Minister of Veterans Affairs, Lawrence Macaulay, has engaged directly with them to let them know they have made a mistake – and that they should change course.”

Ontario Premier Doug Ford earlier Friday called the company’s dress code policy that prohibited employees from wearing poppies “disgusting and disgraceful”. Ford also announced that his province will table legislation that would ensure workers are allowed to wear a poppy. Other politicians including Toronto Mayor John Tory, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh and Conservative Party Leader Erin O’Toole also spoke out against the poppy ban.

Earlier on Friday, a spokesperson for the grocery chain, which has 14 locations across Canada, told BNN Bloomberg that it was not allowing workers to wear the symbol of remembrance in accordance with its dress code, but did not explain why.

“With the exception of those items required by law, our dress code policy prohibits any additions to our standard uniform,” said Rachel Malish, from Whole Foods Global Public Relations, in a statement.

Dabrowski said the grocer took the right steps in adjusting its policy -- it just took too long.

“That would have been the play. Not at 2 p.m. to do a flip-flop when you’ve already damaged your brand and politicians of all stripes have come out against you,” he said.