Food Recall procedure - Should we inform consumers? ISO 22000 Conformance

[Sveta]

Hello everyone!

Help me please with a food recall procedure, which is necessary to be in conformance with ISO 22000.

We manufacture candies and chewing gum. To what extent should we recall nonconforming product from the market? I mean, should we inform consumers and how? Or maybe this is enough just to inform distributors? I am confused.

If anybody has a sample recall procedure for this type of product, it would be helpful.

Thank you in advance.

[Marc]

I'll let the experts correct me.

Whether or not to inform consumers would depend upon the reason for, and the severity of, the recall.

[RCBeyette]

Being Canadian, this topic hits a little close to home. Maple Leaf Foods has implemented a recall on many of their deli meats and other products due to an outbreak of the food-borne bacterium listeria monocytoenes. There have been around 12 deaths linked to this outbreak with many more illnesses waiting for confirmation (or denial).

If you visit cbc.ca, there is link to the listeriosis outbreak, including the timeline from awareness to public communication. The timeline will show how Maple Leaf Foods contacted the distributor first and some time afterwards, the public. Whether or not this was the correct way to communicate will be up to the courts to decide - a class-action lawsuit is already in the making.

[Wes Bucey]

Originally Posted by Sveta

Hello everyone!

Help me please with a food recall procedure, which is necessary to be in conformance with ISO 22000.

We manufacture candies and chewing gum. To what extent should we recall nonconforming product from the market? I mean, should we inform consumers and how? Or maybe this is enough just to inform distributors? I am confused.

If anybody has a sample recall procedure for this type of product, it would be helpful.

Thank you in advance.

A lot depends on the nonconformance. IF it involves, "life, health, or safety" you must inform everyone to prevent injury, harm, or death.

If it is a minor thing (product weight, blurred type on the package, etc.) which will not harm the user's body, then the decisions are essentially economic - will customers be alienated if they find out or will they not even care?

Got a scenario of the type of nonconformance to work through the reasoning?

[harry]

Originally Posted by Marc

I'll let the experts correct me.

Whether or not to inform consumers would depend upon the reason for, and the severity of, the recall.

On top of these, you need to work/liaise with the authorities. Ultimately, they may be making the final decision requiring you to take whatever appropriate action.

You will need a mock recall exercise or whatever other acceptable method to validate your recall & traceability procedure.

This is a link to a sample/guide from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.

By the way, welcome to the forum.

[MIREGMGR]

Aside from the ethical, marketing and civil-liability issues, is your possible recall only from countries that have no laws governing public health and safety regarding food-product adulteration? One condition for conformance with ISO 22000:2005 is conformance with statutory food safety regulations in the countries of manufacture and distribution. I would think that if such statutes exist in your market area, they would constrain your actions to a greater extent than ISO 22000 itself.

[Sveta]

Thanks a lot to everybody.
The problem is I don't know where distributors sell our product to. Distributors sell to retailers, then retailers sell to people. Should I know each retailer? How can I inform thousands of people?? Maybe TV, newspapers? Any opinions?

[harry]

Originally Posted by Sveta

Thanks a lot to everybody.
The problem is I don't know where distributors sell our product to. Distributors sell to retailers, then retailers sell to people. Should I know each retailer? How can I inform thousands of people?? Maybe TV, newspapers? Any opinions?

That's why you need to work with the authorities or rather, the authorities are interested in regulating this aspect. You will jointly (usually) assess the situation with them and if a recall is needed, they will help decide on the method to use. No problem between manufacturer and distributor (if traceability is there). Advertisements in paper and other media are made more effective if it comes from the authorities.

If the product is exported - such as XXX Chocolates, there is a mechanism for the authorities to spread the news to their counterparts in other countries.

The problem is almost always due to the manufacturer who suppress news hoping that it is just a 'scare' or the issue will blow over.