Many businesses have found themselves in a situation that nobody desires – needing to recall foods that expose consumers to food safety risk. Since the start of 2018 there have been well over 100 food recalls in New Zealand.
A food recall can have serious repercussions on the financial health of food and beverage businesses. It’s important for everybody involved to actively connect to the fact that what they do has a bearing on the health of their customers.
It’s sobering to note that even with the best systems in place, business owners can find themselves involved in recalling their food products. Many of the businesses & brands involved in food recalls did so, not because of failures in their own processes, but because of the inputs that they purchased.
If you are a food & beverage business owner, I’d strongly recommend that you subscribe to the MPI food recall updates. (Search on Subscribe to MPI). It’s a good way to learn from others’ mistakes! Ask yourself could something like this happen in our business? If the answer is “Yes” then you can make changes to reduce food safety risks.
More than 80% of food recalls related to 3 areas: undeclared food allergens, foreign matter and pathogens detected in the food. Below is a short summary of each.
Food Allergens
Almost half of all food recalls were associated with the presence of undeclared allergens. It’s also fair to note that almost half of these recalls appear to be associated with one ingredient used by many businesses containing an allergen that was not declared in the finished product.
Understanding what’s in the foods you produce is important. Take the time to obtain and check the specifications and labels of ingredients that you purchase.
If you make claims about your foods in relation to the absence of certain allergens, the duty of care goes further. You are responsible for having systems in place that demonstrate that the claims you make are true.
Ensuring robust control of pre-printed packaging/labels is something that can prevent mis-labelling. You want to ensure your operation cannot use the wrong label or package.
Foreign Matter
About a quarter of all food recalls were associated with the presence of foreign matter. Minced meat was the biggest culprit. Any size reduction activity can take a contaminant, make it smaller, and spread it widely though the product / batch. What can you do to minimise the risks? Prevention is better than cure. Introduce best practice – preventive maintenance and work procedures. If the risks are still high look at equipment for defect detection & removal.
Microbiological
Raw milk products dominated the products recalled for the presence of pathogens. Businesses producing high risk ready to eat foods need to focus on good hygienic practices and ensure that all personnel – including contractors are aware of what they need to do to keep food safe.
