Recent Example Highlights Benefit of External Recall Management Support

By Mike Rozembajgier

In the midst of a difficult or complicated recall, partnering with a reverse logistics and recall management company can help facilitate coordination between manufacturers and regulators and avoid tensions that could grow into regulatory or litigation problems. This past month, for example, a food packing company at the center of a recent hazelnut recall demonstrated how a lack of transparency in recall procedures, compounded by poor communication between companies and regulators can spiral out of control without the proper guidance that reverse logistics firms provide.

In this case, the distributor announced a recall of hazelnuts it had supplied to retail stores due to potential E. coli contamination. While the company complied with Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requests, it reportedly refused to disclose the names of the stores it had supplied, thus creating  tension with the FDA and generating negative media coverage.

When facing a recall, honest and transparent communication is the most important key to building confidence and trust in a brand – among both customers and regulators. Studies have shown that companies that are open and honest with customers during a recall can actually improve the value of their brand and build brand loyalty.

Educating consumers about recalls can be a good thing, especially if media coverage focuses on successful recall management. Working with reverse logistics companies that have managed large numbers of recalls can lead to positive headlines such as, “X company recalls a product, and does it right.” Open communication with consumers, regulators, and the media is the best approach to controlling the narrative, mitigating potential damage, and actually building brand loyalty. When working with recall management experts, companies involved in a recall should be sure to let their consumers know that product safety is their number one goal. Remember that your interactions with regulators and the media can either reassure customers or undermine their belief that your company prides itself on the safety of their consumers. You want it to be the former.

But even beyond communication, working with reverse logistics companies can expedite the successful removal of products from store shelves in coordination with the retailer, ensuring that manufacturers and retailers present a unified and proactive front when communicating with the number one audience for both groups – the consumer. While it may be possible to manage a recall on your own, partnering with experts will ensure that assistance to supply chain partners, notifications to all consumers and suppliers, and documentation of every returned item is completed successfully.

When a recall strikes, transparent communications is the key to maintaining a positive relationship with consumers and regulators. But those transparent communications efforts are all for naught if they are not accompanied by quick and effective recall management, a process that can be streamlined and expedited by partnering with experts who have been there before.

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.