Welcome to week 4 of the HACCP Mentor Food Safety HACCP Challenge. This week’s challenge is an easy one which doesn’t require too much effort. It is also one that often gets overlooked as part of the food product recall review process. Hopefully, your business will never have to use this piece of information but like all of risk planning, we still need to be prepared.
The Challenge
This week you are challenged to review the external contacts that have been documented within your food product recall management plan. This will include contacts for regulators, suppliers, key customers, media agencies, legal representation, testing laboratories and other business specialists.
Food Product Recall
Every food business should have a food product recall plan documented for their business. It makes good business sense to have planned arrangements in-place prior to having to undertake a food product recall. This will reduce time and confusion during an actual food product recall and ensure that contacts are readily available.
How to achieve this Challenge
Step 1: Print off or access a current copy of your food product recall contacts.
Step 2: Check that the contact details are still current. This may involve calling the agency for any updates or reviewing their websites. It is also a good idea to double check any individual persons name and contact details at this time.
Step 3: Make any required updates to your recall documentation.
Note: Make sure that you update your document amendment list and document control requirements if changes were made.
Documented requirements for Recall Plans
Depending on where your food business is located, there may be legal requirements stipulated around what needs to be included in your food product recall plan. If you are third party certified to any of the accredited GFSI standards, food product recall plans which include relevant contact details are required to be documented and kept up-to-date.
Access government contacts
You can find a list of government contacts on the majority of food safety websites in your country of manufacture or a country that you are exporting to. Here are some links to major ones:
Australia / New Zealand: Click here 
Canada: Click Here
USA: Click Here
UK / Scotland / Wales: Click Here
Tip: To find your local food product recall government contact, just google “How do I notify a food recall in xxx country”.
Feedback
To leave feedback about how you went with this #FSHChallenge or what you think about HACCP food safety compliance initiative, just leave a comment below this post.
Hello,
Please, kindly let me know where mass balance become necessary. Is it during a mock recall or during an actual product recall situation?
Could you please share a template for a mass balance protocol if you have any.
Thanks,
Kamorudeen
Thanks Kamorudeen for your comment. The requirement for mass balance is in some of the customer standards. In order to know exactly if you have accounted for all product and affected raw materials during a product recall you would need to complete a mass balance.
Thanks!
Amanda: When I read this I often wonder if HACCP is a management system or a science food safety system? I look at it as a science supported management system. As such I believe that it is essential that it be run by management and perhaps taught at management schools and courses. As it is now, it appears to be run by middle managers from the science quality system – I think that is not a very powerful position in the corporate structure – at least as I experienced industry.
Thanks for your comment Bill. I believe with the requirements included in the GSFI accredited standards a food business needs to approach this process as a management system. Just like the early ISO9001, the majority of standards now require policies and procedures to be documented, implemented and maintained with management commitment a mandatory requirement. People in the management positions need to have that strategic management background.
I AM ESP IN FOOD SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AND I HAVE SOME COURSES ABOUT HYGIENE COURSES AND HACCPAND ISO22000 AND ENVIRONMENT QUALITY. BUT I HAVE BBEN WORKING WITH BIOLOGIY`S LABORATORY FOR LEARNING . I WOULD LIKE TO STUDY AGAIN ,BUT I THINK IN 2017 FOR ME IT IS POSSIBLE.
Good job Angelica. Making a plan is half the battle. Now you just need to implement. As a start, you can get a list of courses for further study you want to do and providers in your areas.
Done! That was quick and easy, only a couple of hyperlink updates due to IT changes, but we did update recently after a mock recall so I may have had an advantage.
I would like to put a topic for discussion up though – when doing mock recall exercises how far do you go? I’ve heard grocery outlets are busy enough with real recalls and don’t want to be bothered with mock recalls – do others make contact or just do all steps up to the contact point for an exercise? Interested in any thoughts or comments…
bye, Di
Hi Di… thanks for your comment. As a general rule you don’t go so far in your ‘mock’ activity to actually contact retailers, customers etc. Just make a report of who you would have contacted and how. Hope this helps.
Amanda