Expert Recall

By Brian Giannini

It seems like almost every week there is a food recall or alert that calls attention to the food safety issues facing our country. Over the past few months, we’ve discussed several food safety reports on this blog, including Deloitte LLP’s 2010 Consumer Food Safety Survey and a report by former Food and Drug Administration (FDA) economist Robert L. Scharff that discussed the cost of foodborne illness to the United States. Now a new report is out that makes a number of food safety recommendations for the FDA, including mandatory food recalls and increased effectiveness for food recall communications.

The report, issued by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) and the National Research Council, echoes industry and government concerns about the food supply and found that the FDA currently isn’t equipped to handle food safety problems.

The report was produced in response to a request from Congress to examine the gaps in the current food safety system and identify the tools needed to improve food safety.  The IOM report outlined several steps the FDA should take to mitigate food safety risks and meet its food safety responsibilities. But the IOM recommendations are hardly earth-shattering. In fact, several of the recommendations are already mentioned in some form in the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act pending before Congress – including strengthening the FDA’s authority to regulate the food industry and order mandatory food recalls.

For starters, the report puts a facelift on a recurring idea in Washington to create a centralized food safety authority. While in the past there has been discussion about creating an entire new agency to regulate the food industry, the IOM recommends establishing a data center independent of the agencies. This center would be tasked with collecting and quickly analyzing information in order to identify and respond to potential food safety risks. This center, coupled with the recurring recommendation that the FDA have authority to issue mandatory recalls, could put food manufacturers at increased recall risk.

One of the most significant recommendations in the report focused on food recalls. The IOM found that the FDA must communicate more clearly with health care professionals and consumers during foodborne illness outbreaks and food recalls. As manufacturers and retailers who have been through the recall process know all too well, ineffective recall communication can lead to decreased consumer response and a drawn out recall process – both putting consumers at increased risk.

While there is a keen awareness among consumers about recent food recalls, there is also an illusion that they are invulnerable to the risks. According to the report, there is a general lack of knowledge and understanding among American consumers about how the food recall process actually works.

While we wait to see what impact this report, and any others will have on you as manufacturers and retailers, take the recommendations to heart and do what you can to adopt them in your recall procedures. After all, your brand will be on the line when you face a recall.

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.