A Robust Market Withdrawal System Can Reduce Your Product Recall Costs

Tracie L. Weaver, Philip G. Crandall, Corliss A. O’Bryan, Michael R. Thomsen Biblographic citation: Food Protection Trends, vol. 37, no. 3, pp. 154-160, May 2017 Volume 37, Issue 3: Pages 154–160

Food manufacturers want to avoid required or voluntary market recalls of their products. Recalls are costly and time consuming and can destroy a company’s image or force it into liquidation. Despite its initial expense, the installation of a robust market withdrawal system could significantly reduce the overall costs of a recall. A withdrawal system that is routinely tested allows the manufacturer to quickly identify the implicated products’ location in the marketing chain and permits immediate quarantine of the suspect product from the market before it reaches retail distribution. Thus, a well-rehearsed market withdrawal system would reduce the major costs of damage to manufacturers’ reputations and reimbursements to consumers. In this paper we discuss the basics of a robust withdrawal system, including traceability, detailed written operating procedures, customer compliance and record keeping.

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