Product Recalls Due to Allergens

Product recalls are a reality faced by all organisations in the food and beverage industry. While the available data for South Africa is minimal, recalls do occur and manufacturers need to be prepared.

Factssa.com has compiled an article outlining allergen-related product recalls and what should be done to avoid them.

From the article:

What are the classes of food recalls?
Class I recall: an emergency situation involving a health hazard where there is a reasonable probability that ingestion will cause serious adverse health problems or death.
Class II recall: involves a potential health hazard, where there is a remote probability that ingestion will cause a temporary or reversible health problem.
Class III recall: involves a situation in which ingestion is unlikely to cause a health problem.”

How common exactly?
Allergen recall statistics are severely lacking in South Africa; and since government does not maintain such data or make it publicly available, ‘silent recalls’ are bound to have occurred. With allergen labelling now being a legal entity, related recalls are expected to increase. This has already been exemplified by the 2011 Class I recall by General Mills of a muffin mix that potentially contained undeclared nuts.

Click here to read the full article: Is your company’s allergen control plan recall-proof?