Total Recall: When Food Safety Issues Make Headlines
How do you manage communication across the board and prevent damaging your reputation and bottom line?
Join food safety expert Mareya Ibrahim, Founder/CEO of Eat Cleaner as she sheds light on how to avoid total disaster in your business – whether you’re a manufacturer, retailer or distributor.
In this presentation, you’ll learn how prepare your business in times of crisis and what steps to take in order to prevent these events from taking place.
If you\'d like this presented to your organization please contact me at: info@eatcleaner.com
1. TOTAL RECALL:
Managing Food Safety Protocol
and Avoiding Crisis
.
Presented by: Mareya Ibrahim, Founder and CEO
EAT CLEANER® and Grow Green Industries, Inc.
3. The State of Food Safety
Cost to human safety and the bottom line
According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 76 million Americans are
impacted by food-related issues each year, with 325,000 hospitalizations and 5,000
deaths from foodborne illnesses.
• Product recalls have more than doubled since
1999; salmonella and undeclared allergens risk
• From 2007 to 2008 alone, food and beverage
recalls increased by 60 percent
Microbial contamination primary cause of recalls
Only about 1% of all imports are inspected
according to the USDA
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4. Food Safety Vulnerability Increasing
More risks on the horizon
Shifting demographics and changing consumption patterns reinforce the
need for food safety awareness.
Consumption of raw products is increasing very rapidly; fresh
spinach consumption grew 180 percent between 1992 and 2005.
The U.S. population is becoming more susceptible to foodborne
illness — 20 to 25 percent of the population is comprised of the
elderly, children and pregnant women — the highest risk categories.
By 2015, it is estimated that one in five Americans will be over the
age of 60 and, therefore, more susceptible to certain types of
infections.
As more Americans live longer with chronic illnesses, including
cancer and diabetes, vulnerability will only increase.
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5. Definition of a Recall
Identifying the root and the severity
The FDA definition: Recalls are actions taken by a firm to remove a product from
the marketplace. Recalls may be conducted
on a firm’s own initiative, by FDA request, or by FDA order under statutory authority.
• Class I recall: A situation in which there is a reasonable probability that the
use of or exposure to an identified product will cause serious adverse health
consequences or death. For example, salmonella in peanuts.
• Class II recall: A situation in which use of or exposure to a violative product
may cause temporary or medically reversible adverse health consequences or where
the probability of serious adverse health consequences is remote. For example,
allergic reactions due to undeclared ingredients.
• Class III recall: A situation in which use of or exposure to a violative product
is not likely to cause adverse health consequences.
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6. Recall Rationale
Reasons and Triggers
Selected Recall Reasons:
• Microbial contamination
• Misbranding (e.g., undeclared allergens) Main reasons for product recalls
• Foreign material contamination
• HACCP plan failure
• Chemical contamination
• Illegal pesticide or drug residues
• Packaging defects
• Worker illness or disease
• Intentional contamination
Common Recall Triggers
• Detection of a pathogen
• pH value change on retained samples
• Micro testing of in-line product
• Micro testing of finished goods
• Misinformation and labeling
• Positive Listeria monocytogenes
• Harmful substance levels, e.g., pesticide, melamine
• Product tampering or sabotage
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7. Headline-Making Recalls
In the last 5 years
2011
• Jennie-O recalled almost 55,000 pounds of turkey burgers due to drug-resistant salmonella
• Nearly 3,000 cases of Dole brand salad bags were recalled after a random test found the bacteria listeria
2010
• More than 500 million eggs were recalled after dangerous levels of salmonella were detected in the eggs
of Wright County Egg and Hillendale Farm in fourteen U.S. states. Nearly 2,000 illnesses were reported.
2009
• Salmonellosis in peanut butter from Peanut Corporation of America became "one of the nation’s worst
known outbreaks of food-borne disease" in recent years. Nine dead, estimated 22,500 sickened.
•Nestlé recalled its Toll House refrigerated cookie dough products after the FDA reported there was a
possibility that the E. coli O157:H7 outbreak; sickened at least 66 people in 28 states.
2008
• At least 1442 cases of salmonellosis food poisoning in 43 states were reported from suspected ingredients
found in fresh salsa, such as raw tomato, fresh jalapeño pepper, fresh serrano pepper, and fresh cilantro.
2007
• ConAgra asked stores to pull its Banquet and generic brand chicken and turkey pot pies due to 152 cases of
salmonella poisoning in 31 states linked to ConAgra pot pies, with 20 people hospitalized.
2006
• E. coli O157:H7 in bagged spinach packaged by Natural Selection Foods and likely supplied by Earthbound
Farm. 3 dead, and 198 people reported sickened by the outbreak across 25 States. 7
8. The World’s Largest Outbreak
A disaster on all fronts
E.coli outbreak in Germany, 2011
World’s largest outbreak, 50 dead and thousands sickened to organ failure
Lettuce, tomatoes and cucumbers suspected and blacklisted; finger pointing
led to reputation misstep and cost
Germany under fire for taking so long to identify the source of lethal E.coli
Failure to provide the public with clear information complicated matters
further
The bottom line…3 weeks after the initial outbreak and hundreds of millions of
dollars in losses for farmers across the European Union sparked a war of words
between leaders. Citing safety concerns, Russia and Saudi Arabia blocked all
imports of produce from the EU.
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9. The Importance of Food Safety Protocol
Fiscal and relationship ramifications
• Average cost of a recall to companies is $10 million
• Imposed federal investigations and time-consuming paper trail
identification
• Stock price declines of up to 22 percent within two weeks after a
recall announcement
• Potential brand damage, category impact and long term lost sales
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10. Anatomy of a Recall
Media love them, everyone else hates them
• Recalls happen every week and largely go unnoticed when handled
efficiently and competently
• A great food scare can make headlines and sell newspapers and
the bigger the brand, the bigger the coverage
• Speed of action and communication are vital, but it is equally
important for manufacturers to take a little time to ensure that
information is accurate.
• Bungled recalls are those where there is no clear process or
decision-making, delays in admitting the problem, or worse,
ignored or even covered up, only to come to light later.
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11. A Tale of Two Recalls
Same company, two different outcomes
2002 Recall 2007 Recall
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12. Timely Response is Critical
Timing is everything
Identification and timely escalation of issues are critical in preventing delays
throughout the entire recall process.
•Manufacturers typically take from 0.5 to 72 hours to complete the
identification process
• Smaller organizations with fewer facilities complete the identification
process in between 0.5 and 17 hours.
• Larger organizations take 32 hours on average; more decision makers,
products, facilities and distribution channels to trace
Source: Deloitte Study - Recall Execution Effectiveness: Collaborative Approaches to Improving
Consumer Safety and Confidence 2010
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13. Total Recall Management
From Prevention to Governance
Prevention: Inhibits food Issue Detection: Starts Investigation: Determines Recall Decision:
safety issues through from the time food safety the severity and scope Completes the
quality assurance issue is reported until an through laboratory tests. identification process
processes investigation is launched. Technology is used to by reaching an internal
locate the product. decision that a recall
should take place.
Governance: Helps ensure that crisis teams are involved from issue detection to investigation.
Source: Deloitte Study - Recall Execution Effectiveness: Collaborative Approaches to Improving Consumer
Safety and Confidence 2010 13
14. Proactive Measures
Integrated technology, real time communication
A comprehensive HACCP program is employed by leading companies using:
• Integrated technology systems rather than paper-based or spreadsheet systems
• Extends beyond the company’s facilities and goes all the way back to the raw
material source, including farmers for agricultural products
• Communication around potential issues on a near real-time basis
• E.g. Sensor would detect the temperature change, set off an alarm / alert and
shut off the production line automatically
Programs like Rapid Recall Exchange ensure prompt and accurate product recall
and withdrawal notification communications for retailers, wholesalers and
suppliers through a web-based service, 24/7.
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15. Crisis Management Planning
Issue Identification-Feedback
Source: Deloitte Study - Recall Execution Effectiveness: Collaborative Approaches to Improving
Consumer Safety and Confidence 2010
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16. Communication is Key
Internal and external planning
Proactive Internal Communication:
• Assemble a task force team and appoint lead crisis management person
• Identify an official spokesperson for internal communication
• Put together a list of emergency names and contact numbers
• Create instructions on communicating with your employees; provide them with
information on their role in the situation and dealing with the media
• Test out the plan by running a simulation
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17. Communication is Key
Internal and external planning
Proactive PR:
• Develop a list of questions and answers for the media
• Draft press release with basic company information
• Assemble a list of local media contacts to proactively approach or organize for a press
conference or briefing when necessary
•Be sure your spokesperson is truthful, professional and media trained; develop a list of
do's and don'ts on dealing with the media.
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18. Communication is Key
Internal and external planning
Proactive Retailer Communication:
• Identify a single point of contact to support recalls at stores
• Use automated systems for transmission of information to stores
• Run 24/7 recall operations; have plans for recall during the weekend
• Require stores to send a confirmation of receipt
Proactive Consumer Communication:
• On websites, in retail stores and in the national press
• Text message campaign
• Social media via P2P platforms such as Twitter and Facebook and blogs
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20. “Failure to Plan is Planning for Failure”
Being proactive is critical
• Identify key risks and mitigate them as much as possible
• Adhere to stringent internal process and accountability procedures
• Formulate internal and external communication plans and practice them
• Act swiftly but efficiently
• Notify stakeholders and communicate openly
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21. For more information, contact:
Mareya Ibrahim
T: 888-284-2435 xt. 702
mareya@eatcleaner.com
Thank
Y U