With the imminent publication of PAS7100 version 2 just around the corner, it seems like a good idea to explore for a moment or two just this….to recall or not to recall, that is the question.
Recalls are an important mechanism of safeguarding consumers from potentially dangerous goods.
Over the years, there have been so high-profile recalls involving everything from exploding car airbags, tumble dryers, overheating phones, hoverboards as well as multiple food product types….
I can’t mention food recalls without referencing the horsemeat scandal of 2013 that led to huge amounts of products being withdrawn from sale. This was sheer recall hell for Tesco with apparently nearly £300m wiped off its total value after a number of its burgers were found to contain horse meat.
But let us consider for a moment a situation whereby it comes to a business’s attention that an ingredient within a product is missing or has been mispresented in some way within the ingredients list and this affects 50,000 products that currently sit on supermarkets shelves. It could be a anything from toothpaste, pack of dried pasta or some kind of fruit cordial drink.
If the absence of this ingredient or its misspelling has absolutely no safety implications and a consumer is not going to be misled to any substantial degree, then why do some businesses reach the conclusion that they need to carry out a full recall?
A full recall is not something to be taken lightly as the implications can be massive not only because of the huge financial implications which a SME might not recover from but the reputational damage this can also cause to a brand that then might transcend across other product lines.
Having advised businesses of all shapes and sizes over the last two years in this space, the crux of the matter here is for the business to have strategized and spent time and money investing in a bespoke system and process that kicks seamlessly into play if and when needed. Such a system and process would have been tested in real time and adapted where necessary – with all this in play and if its working as it should, this should avoid a recall altogether.
Part of the package of advice I present to business always includes to have a conversation with their local or preferably primary authority. The reason for this is that local regulators have the authority to issue what they refer to as ‘indulgence of the inspectorate’ under certain circumstances. Any business with a PA partnership can receive PA advice for Local Authorities, which in these circumstances is a very powerful tool.
This gives the business some time to correct the issue at source whilst allowing the remaining product in question to still be sold.
If any of this resonates with you and you could do with some help strategizing, look no further…
