FDA Enhances Recall Communication and Improves Transparency

By Brian Giannini

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently launched a newly redesigned, user-friendly webpage that enables consumers to more easily access and track recall information for food, drugs, medical devices, biologics and animal products. The website update was mandated by the Food Safety Modernization Act and is intended to increase the transparency of recalls and enhance recall communication by making recall information more accessible to consumers. 

The FDA recall web pages, Recalls, Market Withdrawals, & Safety Alerts, are not new. But the new design organizes recalls in a searchable table that offers only the most critical details, including the date of the recall, the product brand name, the product description, the reason for the recall, and the company announcing the recall. Should consumers want or need more information, the news release and any available photos of the recalled product are also available with the click of a mouse.

At a very basic level, the new display helps make recall communication more effective.  The new arrangement provides consumers with a logical, easy-to-read interface that can help them be sure that they are keeping their homes stocked with only safe products. And consumers aren’t the only audience welcoming the change.

Progressive Grocer recently reported that the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) welcomed the launch of the new consumer-friendly FDA website. GMA president and CEO Pamela G. Bailey commended the FDA “for its work on this important project and for its ongoing commitment to enhancing the strength of our country’s foods safety system.”

This enhanced online resource, combined with the CPSC recall database and new mobile recall applications, is more evidence that regulators are taking steps to make sure that consumers are more aware of recalls than ever before. In this age of accountability and information overload, manufacturers and regulators alike need to take steps to communicate more effectively with consumers.

Manufacturers must keep in mind that while this consumer-friendly redesign could significantly increase  recall effectiveness, having your recall history at every consumer’s fingertips could also undermine consumer trust. In this environment of increased transparency, you must make sure that your company does not turn up as a trending topic on the FDA recall website.

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.