Opinion: The perils of a product recall

Published: 10-Feb-2014

More rapid testing methods could be the key to reducing the number of product recalls

New Zealand-based Fonterra has started the year with yet another product recall, as it prepares to go to court with Danone over last year’s whey protein contamination scare. This January, Fonterra Brands NZ voluntarily recalled 8,700 bottles of 300ml and 500ml Anchor and Pams fresh cream with a best before date of 21 January 2014 from retail and foodservice outlets in the North Island, because quality tests showed there may be the presence of E.Coli.

Meanwhile, as a result of the last year’s whey protein scare, Danone is terminating its supply contract with Fonterra and is suing for compensation to cover expected €300m (NZ$490m) business losses. In that instance, Fonterra first detected the contamination some months before the recall and commenced testing to determine the exact type of bacteria, as there are numerous strains and not all pose a food safety risk. It found the affected product contained a strain of Clostridium, which has the potential to cause botulism and so in August, recalls were issued across nine countries and eight companies were involved. But it turned out they were false positive results and no cases of illness were reported.

Danone is the first to take legal action against Fonterra. In December, Fonterra said it had reached agreements to compensate six firms and has been negotiating with Danone.

The events highlight the difficult decisions facing quality departments when presented with positive contamination test results. Identifying the exact strain and determining whether it poses an actual risk and to whom, takes time when relying on culture growth tests. A compliance investigation by the NZ Ministry for Primary Industries has recommended that Fonterra’s food quality and safety specs and testing are reviewed, that plant cleaning programmes are amended and its risk and crisis management processes strengthened.

It seems companies are damned if they err on the side of caution and initiate a recall, and damned if they don’t. Either way it highlights the importance of faster testing methods and best practices. One only hopes this latest domestic product recall is less damaging.

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