Expert Recall

By Howard Aughinbaugh

Keeping up-to-date on changes in regulations and the latest product safety tools and techniques is critical to staying prepared to meet the growing challenge of recall management. But when federal and state regulations don’t mesh, it can be difficult to stay on top of even the most critical changes. With product and consumer safety at the top of the agenda at every regulatory agency, it is critical that companies and their employees not only stay in touch with what’s going on at the agencies that regulate them, but also that they constantly strive to follow industry best practices. Industry experts routinely share their insights through webinars and educational sessions which can be helpful to companies that want to ensure that they are ready to handle any product safety issue that may arise.

We spoke with Gina Beredo about the challenges she faces every day as a product safety manager. Ms. Beredo was recently selected by ExpertRECALL to receive a scholarship to attend the Product Safety Management Certificate program at Saint Louis University. Ms. Beredo is the Director of Product Compliance at American Greetings Corporation where she is responsible for ensuring compliance with all federal, state and local laws and regulations, and retailer and licensor requirements. She is also in charge of developing and managing protocols and testing schedules with independent laboratories, and coordinating product recalls. Ms. Beredo chairs American Greetings Corporation’s Global Product Safety Council and the North America Product Safety Councils, whose missions include driving product safety throughout the manufacturing process.

ExpertINSIGHTS:  Why did you decide to apply for a scholarship to the Certificate in Product Safety Management program? What do you hope to gain from participating in this program?

Gina Beredo:  The significant changes in consumer law over the last two years, coupled with my recent appointment as Director of Product Safety, had me searching for meaningful opportunities to gain knowledge and experience in the product safety field.  This program is designed to do just that.  I look forward to gaining a better understanding of my responsibilities to my company to ensure that our products are safe and compliant. The program will provide me with resources to instill produce safety best practices in our company. Originally, when I reviewed the materials for the program, I knew that budget restraints would prevent me from participating without a scholarship. I am grateful to ExpertRECALL for giving me with this opportunity. 

ExpertINSIGHTS:  What is the biggest challenge you currently face in your job and what can help you overcome that challenge?

Gina Beredo:  The biggest challenge is finding a uniform and timely way to regularly adjust our manufacturing processes to changes in state and federal laws.  We have both domestic and international facilities, and finding a successful management system is quite challenging. I hope that the program will help me find ways to accomplish this. 

ExpertINSIGHTS:  What trends are you seeing in your industry that could create obstacles for your company in the future?

Gina Beredo:  Reconciling federal and state laws governing consumer products has been particularly challenging.    In many cases, this forces us to perform multiple tests to reach the same goal of reducing harmful substances in children’s products.  This is very costly and could be an obstacle for many companies. In addition, some of the laws are unclear and, while we make a good faith effort to comply, it is difficult to know how the law will eventually be interpreted or enforced. 

ExpertINSIGHTS:  In your opinion, why do companies need to take steps in advance to ensure they are prepared for a product recall, return, or withdrawal?

Gina Beredo:  Companies need to stay ahead of the game for a variety of reasons.  First, recalls can be troublesome for consumers and costly to the company, from both a financial and reputational standpoint.  Second, it is better to implement changes over time and correct issues as they come up, rather than force a rushed process into manufacturing. This saves significant resources and frustration during the implementation process.  Third, it just makes sense that a company would want to avoid a recall and product destruction resulting in lost resources, lower profits and decreased consumer confidence.  Manufacturers today have no choice but to stay on top of the recent changes in the law and prepare for them.

Stericycle ExpertRECALL™ is the industry leader in recall logistics and regulatory compliance for consumer product, pharmaceutical, medical device, juvenile product, and food and beverage recalls. ExpertRECALL’s professionals are experts in recall management who can help you streamline the entire product recall process.