Recalling Products from the Supply Chain
As a growing food company or a renowned food manufacturing giant, product recall from the supply chain might become imminent at one point or the other. No manufacturer prays for situations that necessitate product recall. No manufacturer wishes for it because it is a lot of work.
However, when the food safety risk is high or when product quality does not meet customer expectations or when regulatory scrutiny is at stake, the only wise choice might be product recall. American Society for Quality (ASQ) defines product recall as a request to return, exchange, or replace a product after a manufacturer or consumer watch group discovers defects that could hinder performance, harm consumers, or produce legal issues for the producers.
Now the question is, do you have a product recall system in place?
Is your product recall system effective? Has it been tried and tested? A food business doesn't need to wait for a real issue that is worth product recall to occur before testing the effectiveness of the product recall system.
It is recommended to organize mock product recalls periodically in order to test the effectiveness of your product recall system in terms of swiftness, responsiveness and thoroughness.
About the Author
Chidinma Ezinne Ochulor is a certified Food Technologist, a quality assurance professional with over 3 years' experience. She is a professional member of the Nigerian Institute of Food Science and Technology (NIFST). Reach her on LinkedIn, here.
