Recall Week in Review

Each week I will provide a weekly recap of recalls that have affected the food, beverage, pharmaceutical, and dietary supplement industries.

The purpose of the review is to highlight what areas are resulting in failures and questions you can ask your team.

Additionally, I will provide you with a weekly topic or two for you to look at in the coming week.

My goal is to help you prevent a recall in your organization.

Thank you.  Bob.

FDA

6/19 – 6/23

• 6/21 – Food and Beverage – Virus / Microbiological Contamination
• 6/23 – Food and Beverage – Undeclared Sesame Seeds
• 6/23 – Food and Beverage – Virus / Microbiological Contamination
• 6/23 – Food and Beverage – Virus / Microbiological Contamination

USDA

• 6/20 – Food – Without the benefits of reinspection
• 6/20 – Food – Improper Inspection
• 6/23 – Food – Inspection Failure

So, what actions can you take to prevent a recall from these types of failures?

Action to be taken and questions to ask.

1. GMP Practices – Handwashing, Foot Traffic. PPE (Gloves, Hairnets, Ear Plugs, etc.) – as you walk the floor, look to see if these are being followed. It is also important to conduct these walks on off-shifts and on weekends.
2. Incoming Ingredient and Packaging Inspection Procedures – review the procedures with the receiver and see if they are being followed.
3. Sanitation Procedures and CIP / COP / Manual Cleaning Effectiveness. Review the CIP charts and titration records to see if you are washing properly and using the appropriate amount of chemicals.
4. Packaging Management Programs. Review your internal program and see if there are any opportunities for mixed packaging that can lead to mislabeling.
5. USDA Inspection Procedures. Conduct a GAP Assessment and see if your company has exposure with pre-shipment inspections.

As a great leader, when you find failures and / or opportunities, be a mentor to explain why it is important and what you can do to remove roadblocks to improve your employee’s jobs and to increase their accuracy and effectiveness.

Together we can all do our part to be advocates for prevention and drive out recalls worldwide!

For more information on how to prevent recalls, check out my book “In the Midst of a Recall” for real-world measures you can take now to prepare with in-depth Case Studies. Available now