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Crisis Management – Recalls, Outbreaks, Shutdowns
By Frank Guray, Consultant & Trainer, Professional Food Safety Ltd.
All reputable companies, including Jack in the Box, Hudson Foods, Diamond Pet Foods, Pilgrim's Pride, Dole Food Company and Odwalla, have one thing in common. They have been part of a recall or an outbreak of food borne illnesses. Some companies were able to work through the problem (Dole Food Company). Others have barely survived (Jack in the Box). And some no longer exist (Hudson Foods). Which one will you fall under if you are part of a recall?
Everyone either dreads talking about it, or flatly deny it will ever happen to them. The Recall. I hope that I clearly demonstrated that this can happen to anyone in the above paragraph, and I mean anyone. USDA and FDA have emergency response teams and have provided a great amount of resources to address such things. And although you may not have the budget of the Federal Government, you can setup some sound measures to help ensure that you are ready for that day. And if you don't want to address this concern, don't worry. You will be required by your customers eventually. Companies like Wal-Mart, Albertson's, Costco, and Sysco cannot afford to deal with unreliable companies. Customers need to know that you are prepared. If you cannot reliably prove that you are ready, they just won't buy from you anymore.
Check to make sure that your food safety programs are sound. Look around your industry, what are your competitors having to deal with? Have you seen any companies that have been part of a recall? In case you forgot, these are your competitors. What happens to them can most certainly happen to you. Learn the lessons that they learned without having to go through their pain. Also, look at your Traceability and Recall Programs. This should include traceability backwards and forwards, as well as your ability to recall your products in a timely manner.
Customer complaints are their way of saying, "If you don't address this now and later, I will stop buying from you." Most people, like myself either ignore the problem or silently move to another supplier. Consider these complaints to be a second chance. Also, any food safety complaints are a documented case that your food safety system has failed. Can you imagine what may happen if this complaint is brought up to the government, or even worse, in a court of law? Answer the basic questions, "How was the product contaminated?" and setup systems to prevent it from happening in the future, as well as compensation. The customers took the time to bring this to your attention. They need to feel that you are sensitive to their concerns.
Team resources are very important to proactively address the problems and to address damage control. In addition to your facility personnel, make sure you have resources to protect the company. You've invested so much in your business: time, energy, money, different types of insurance. Why not take that next step to safeguard the business? Do you know what regulations you must follow for food safety? How about recalls? If you don't know, it's time for your company to do a little research, or to bring in competent people.
Finally, don't forget that "practice makes perfect". Go through a mock recall and make sure that you are prepared. I like to compare this to a firefighter. The amount of preparation, where their boots and jackets are, how the firetruck is parked, as well as the way the hoses are arranged. All ready in the event of the emergency.
Pick a product, or even better, pick a raw material and trace where the material went, which products is it associated with, as well as where the products went. Pretend that this is a real emergency and that you need to be able to provide the documentation for safety, as well as the proof that this product is indeed associated with the "contaminated" raw material. A good goal is to shoot for two hours. I can't imagine the federal government, as well as the customers, to be comfortable if it takes longer. Remember, this is an emergency, and you need to get the product out of the shelf. One more thing, what happens if the "Food Safety Guru" is not present? Are there backups to the program?
"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." – Ben Franklin
How will your company respond to the fires of recalls and outbreaks?
Frank Guray is a Consultant & Trainer at Professional Food Safety Ltd. He graduated from Purdue University at Lafayette with a Bachelor's of Science in Agricultural Engineering – Food Processing Option. An Indiana Professional Intern Licensed Engineer, he was with Tyson Foods, Inc. working at multiple plants and has served in various capacities. He instructs and audits at various capacities, including HACCP Introductory and HACCP Advanced, to Local Food Safety Sanitation Management classes. In addition, he assists plants with all aspects of regulatory compliance and processing issues, including inventory control, acting as a liaison with regulatory agencies, audit preparation and onsite training. For article feedback, contact Frank at fguray@professionalfoodsafety.com
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