Product Recall

Product Recall...

What is it ALL about?

What is a Product Recall?

A food recall includes any corrective action by a company needed to protect consumers from potentially adverse effects of a contaminated, adulterated, or misbranded product.

A recall is a voluntary action, and the recall decision is made by the company management. If the company does not initiate a recall, the government agency responsible for the particular product category may request that the company do so. Recalls are conducted by industry in cooperation with federal and state agencies.

Manufacturers strive to prevent a recall. Employing Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) plans are vital to preventing a recall.

Factors prompting a food recall include but are not limited to unsafe, contaminated, or mislabeled product, nonconformities to manufacturer?s specifications, and missing allergen or other hazard warnings.

Purpose of a Recall

The basis of the recall concept depends on a company's food safety policies, ethical understanding, regulatory requirements, and financial constraints.

A recall protects not only the consumer, but also the company. A smooth recall process can save a company's name and prevent further damage due to negative publicity. Destroying, replacing, or altering the product are the three main corrective actions. A recall plan should strive to achieve the following goals:

A. Protect consumer health
B. Comply with existing rules and regulations
C. Minimize the cost of the recall
D. Regain and improve the company?s reputation

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Aims of a recall

The aims of a product recall should be to minimise the risk of injury to the public by recalling the product as quickly as possible to get back as many of the faulty products as possible
to minimise the cost and inconvenience for the consumer and the company.

Assessing the need for a recall

When you become aware of a possible defect in a product that may make it unsafe you will need to consider a recall. To decide if a recall is necessary

1. Gather all available information on the defect. Arrange testing, talk to buyers/customers who have complained

2. Identify the number of goods affected (models, batches)

3. locate the goods - where they have been distributed (warehouses, retailers, customers)

4. Assess the degree of danger – injury potential and likelihood of injury

5. Consult others who may have received complaints or who can offer advice on the need for a recall.

Product defects

The fault in a product could be:

With the product itself

eg, a manufacturing fault causes a weld on a bicycle to fail and the bicycle collapses while it is being ridden.

Failure to meet a mandatory standard

eg, a product safety standard made under the Fair Trading Act, an electrical safety standard cited under electrical safety legislation, or a vehicle standard set out in the Transport Regulations.

With the packaging

eg, a cap on a bottle of household cleaner that does not fit properly.

Caused by the use made of a product

eg, the fuel line in a motor vehicle fractures under extreme temperature and road conditions.

Carrying out the recall

Once a problem in a product has been identified a recall should be carried out quickly and efficiently.

This checklist will help you to organise a recall:

1. Nominate one person to coordinate the recall.
2. Stop production and distribution of the product.
3. Identify which models/ batches of the product are affected (eg by serial numbers, batch marking). Find out when these were produced and where they have been distributed.
4. Notify distributors, wholesalers, importers, agents and retailers quickly and in writing.
If the hazard is particularly serious notice should be given by fax or telephone, followed by a letter (see "Content of Publicity").
5. Notify relevant government departments that you are undertaking a recall

6. Make arrangements for providing refunds, replacing or repairing the recalled product.
7. Notify individual customers directly of the recall where records are available.
8. Prepare and undertake a publicity programme to ensure all users of the product are aware of the recall.
9. Arrange to destroy the faulty products or to store them securely until they can be made safe.
10. Keep a record of items returned. Record who returned the goods and the date. Keep a count of how many items are still outstanding.
11. Evaluate the success of the recall using the record of returns. If the recall has not achieved a satisfactory rate of return you will need to develop new strategies for publicising the recall.
12. Analyse the record to see which groups of buyers or which regions have a low return rate and choose suitable methods to inform these groups of the recall.

Notifying relevant agencies

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Type of publicity

Recalls are usually publicised through direct contact with customers, or through newspaper advertising.

However, there are other ways you can publicise a recall. You need to consider which is most likely to get the message to the people who are using the product concerned.

Some groups in the population are not regular newspaper readers, others will read some papers but not others, eg community newspapers but not daily newspapers. Think about who you are trying to reach.

Here are some of the possible means of publicising a recall:

1. Display signs in shops that sold the product
2. Dsk relevant organisations to publicise the recall in their newsletters, eg Nestle might publicise the recall of a Nestle Chocolate
3. Avertise in magazines in which the product was advertised
4. Advertise in daily or community newspapers
5. Issue a media release to newspapers, radio and television
6. Advertise on radio or television
7. Advertise in retailers' mailers. Supermarkets, retail chains, department stores often send mailers to every household.

You need to decide which combination of methods will reach the most users of the product.

Content of publicity

Any publicity for the recall needs to include the following information:

1. A clear description of the product including the name, make, model, colour, batch or serial numbers
2. A clear drawing or photograph of the product
3. The dates that the product was available for sale
4. A statement of the problem and the associated risk
5. Immediate action to take - eg, cease use, safe storage instructions
6. What action consumers should take in order to receive a refund or to have the product repaired or replaced
7. A contact telephone number for further information, preferably a toll free number.


Here is an e.g. of a recall notice that could appear in a newspaper, mailer, shop sign, etc:

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SAFETY WARNING

Recall of Bikerlite Bicycles

Two Wheels NZ Limited wishes to alert its customers that a batch of faulty bicycles has been sold throughout New Zealand from March of this year. The bicycles concerned are the Bikerlite 313 with Batch A27 stamped on the front forks. Some bicycles in this batch have a faulty weld on the handlebar stem which may cause the handlebars to fall off during normal use. If you have one of these bicycles please return it to any stockist of Bikerlite bicycles.
You will receive a full refund of the purchase price or a free repair. Do not use the bicycle in the meantime.

For further information about this recall please call
0800 000 000 TWO WHEELS NZ Ltd, Private Bag 000, Auckland

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