Category: Food and Beverage Industry

While most product recalls in all industries are preventable through careful planning and strict procedures, they still occur and happen now more than ever before. And even after following correct protocols and regulatory guidance, you may still find yourself in the middle of a recall. But it’s not only a defective product that will put your company at risk. More important is the way you manage the recall that follows.

After months of COVID-19-related delays, the FDA has just released its “New Era of Smarter Food Safety: Blueprint for the Future.” Part of that blueprint focuses on recall modernization – a process that actually has been ongoing even without FDA’s close attention. But now that it is top priority for the agency, you can expect your regulatory obligations to change.

The FDA recently announced that its inspectors may be knocking on your door as early as July 20 to conduct long-overdue domestic inspections. Once given the green light, inspectors’ first priority will be to conduct “mission critical” inspections of facilities considered to be of highest risk.

News about Blue Bell Creameries’ guilty plea and $19 million in federal fines linked to a deadly 2015 listeria outbreak that led to a series of ice cream recalls serves as a cautionary tale for all food companies operating in today’s punishing media and regulatory environment. Blue Bell, whose former CEO is also charged by the Justice Department with conspiracy to cover up safety problems at its plants, started with the best of intentions.

Food means joy, comfort – and frankly, employment – for many. But these days, food has too often become synonymous with uncertainty, stress, and fear. As coronavirus began to spread in the U.S., consumers rushed to supermarkets to stock up on food and other necessary groceries. Suddenly, store shelves were empty, and grocery store workers, forced to work in their essential industry, found themselves unable to keep up with consumer demand.