Thought Leadership

Food companies have many challenges to deal with on a regular basis: cost controls, the frequently changing health concerns of consumers, the need to stand out in an increasingly crowded marketplace, and more. In the midst of all those factors, the potential for a product recall may not be top-of-mind, especially for smaller companies and those who haven’t experienced a recall before. The top causes of food recalls, such as the discovery of potential bacterial contamination or undeclared allergens, happen fast.

For many companies, social media is both a blessing and curse. It is a relatively inexpensive way to promote new products and increase brand awareness. It helps businesses learn more about their customers. On the other hand, complaints and poor reviews can be potentially damaging if they aren’t navigated correctly. That’s especially true during a crisis such as a product recall.   In our recent

At a recent Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) event, a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) representative spoke about the agency’s push for pathogen testing in food products. A combination of more sophisticated testing and more aggressive regulatory enforcement has helped drive up contamination recall activity in the food sector in recent quarters.

President Donald Trump’s proposed budget could have wide ranging implications in virtually every industry. In the medical and food industries, the sweeping cuts could impact the implementation of new regulations and development of new research – which could ultimately impact product recalls. The administration’s

The rise in contamination recalls, driven by advancements in testing and increased regulatory scrutiny, has received a lot of attention in recent months. It’s easy to forget the prevalence of other causes of food recalls, including undeclared allergens. In fact, the number of recalls due to undeclared allergens increased each quarter in 2016, rising from 40 in Q1 to 105 in Q4.  While these recalls make up a smaller proportion of recall activity compared to contamination, their share was fairly consistent throughout 2016.