Category: Product Recall Management Best Practices

COVID-19 may have stalled huge sectors of the global economy, but regulatory oversight in the U.S. remains vigilant and may even be picking up its pace as we move through the third quarter. In fact, medical device recalls in the second quarter reached levels we haven’t seen in two years, surpassing 300 recall events for the first time since the second quarter of 2018. And July data suggests that recalls may continue at this pace, further imposing challenges on an industry already stretched thin.

In their quest for excellence, many companies try to amaze their customers with superior products and even better service. More than a few have extended that philosophy to their crisis planning, offering free products, cash, generous coupons and other compensation to atone for the inconvenience consumers suffer in a product recall. But a

Exponent, Inc. is a multi-disciplinary engineering and scientific consulting firm that brings together more than 90 technical disciplines to solve engineering, science, regulatory, and business issues for its clients.

Cosmetic companies have been a target of consumer activists for years. Organizations like Environmental Working Group and Campaign for Safe Cosmetics have run campaigns that resulted in companies reformulating products or defending themselves publicly and in courtrooms across the country. As far as we can tell, these attacks won’t change; in fact, we can expect them to intensify as regulators tighten their control over the companies.

First and foremost, we hope you and everyone close to you are well. We’re living through an unprecedented time and hopefully you’re able to find some calm and maintain connections. Like each of you, we’ve been working through the COVID-19 crisis, encouraging workers to follow the recommendations of federal, state and local health officials. But as crisis management professionals, we also can’t help but think about the long game.