Does your business have to have a recall program?
A food recall is when product is retrieved from customers if there is a possible food safety problem with a food.
There are three type of food recalls; Consumer, Trade and Mock.
A Consumer Recall occurs when the affected food has reached the shelves and is accessible to consumers, for example ; from supermarkets or manufacturers.
It is the most expensive type of recall in terms of the costs of retrieving the product and also on it’s potential impact on the company’s brand and future sales.
A Trade Recall occurs when the food has only made it as far as the warehouse in the suppy chain and there is no need to inform consumers that it is happening.
Mock Recalls are required for all businesses that must have a recall program. It is a trial of the business’s recall program and must be done at regular scheduled intervals to test that the program is effective and to give practice if ever a Consumer or Trade Recall is required.
All businesses which manufacture, import, distribute or wholesale food must have a food recall program.
All recalls must be run according to the Food Industry Recall Protocol;
http://www.foodstandards.gov.au/industry/foodrecalls/firp/Pages/default.aspx
There are specific documents which must be completed or used for recalls, and templates for these can be found at