Product recall

For The Office episode, see Product Recall.

A product recall is a request to return a product after the discovery of safety issues or product defects that might endanger the consumer or put the maker/seller at risk of legal action.

The recall is an effort to limit ruination of the corporate image and limit liability for corporate negligence, which can cause significant legal costs. It can be difficult, if not impossible, to determine how costly can be releasing to the consumer a product that could endanger someone's life and the economic loss resulting from unwanted publicity. Recalls are costly having to handle the recalled product, replacing it and possibly being held financially responsible for the consequences of the recalled product.

A country's consumer protection laws will have specific requirements in regard to product recalls. Such regulations may include how much of the cost the maker will have to bear, situations in which a recall is compulsory (usually because the risk is big enough), or penalties for failure to recall. The firm may also initiate a recall voluntarily, perhaps subject to the same regulations as if the recall were compulsory.

General steps to a product recall

A product recall usually involves the following steps, which may differ according to local laws:

Highlights of major product recalls (1959-present)

1959

1973

1978

1982

1986

1994

1999

2000

2003

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

Product recall agencies by country

Australia

Canada

Europe

Germany

Ireland

The Netherlands

United Kingdom

United States

Recalls by Industry

Automotive Industry

In general, the number of recalls has been increasing - with an exception during the economic crisis 2009-2010 – due to time, cost and market pressure. Per year, global automotive warranties are estimated as USD 40 billion, 3 -5 % loss in sales. Low priced production often leads to minor quality, and outsourcing leads to a shift of knowledge concerning techniques and processes. This way, technical failures are more likely to occur due to communication problems between the different parties engaged in the supply chain and missing definitions for technical interfaces. Despite the increasing number of recalls, a Mojo Motors, Inc. study found only .005 percent of customers ask about recalls when contacting dealerships.[44]

Manufacturers have to notify the owner when there’s a recall notice, but in the case of a second, third or fourth owner of the car, the company may be sending the notice to a previous one.[45]

Pharmaceutical Industry

Product recalls occur in the Pharmaceutical Industry as well. When evaluating an item for a potential recall, the Food and Drug Administration's recall strategy is to conduct a Health hazard evaluation to assist in determining a person's risk of being harmed by an adulterated substance.[46] In addition to the results of the Health hazard evaluation, the following items are taken into account when determining if an item should be recalled: - "Ease in identifying the product - Degree to which the product remains unused in the market place - Continued availability of essential products".[46]

The accurate evaluation of the health hazard posed by the product is an important first step. For example, allergen contamination remains a problem area in the pharmaceutical and dietary supplements industries. There are analytical limits on allergen detection for many substances. Until recently, there was no mechanism in place to evaluate the health risk to consumers when allergens are present at levels below detectable thresholds. The development of the Quantitative Risk Assessment has made it possible to establish thresholds for several of the major food allergens.[47] This assessment gives numerical estimates of the likelihood of illness or death after allergen/toxin exposure and is used to establish a threshold by combining dose-response relationships, biological effects and variability in the allergic group. Genotoxic and carcinogenic impurities can be assessed with this method as well.

See also

References

  1. Mashaw, Jerry L.; Harfst, David L. (1990). "Regulation as Recalls". The Struggle for Auto Safety. Harvard University Press. p. 150. ISBN 0674845307. steering linkage (pitman arm) failed on many cars while making a 90 degree turn at 10 to {{convert|15|mi/h|km/h|0|abbr=on}}; that the arms were made of metal somewhat softer than that usually employed to withstand the stresses of low-speed turns; and that General Motors had sold six times as many pitman arm replacement units during those years than during the preceding and succeeding years.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "News: Biggest-ever British recall". Autocar. 139 nbr 4028: Pages 16. 9 August 1973.
  3. Stuart, Reginald (June 11, 1980). "Government notifies Ford of possible recall for 16 million autos". The New York Times. In the Pinto case, the highway safety agency made an initial determination in May 1978 that a defect existed in the fuel tank system...Days before a formal recall order was to be issued by the Government, Ford voluntarily recalled more than a million Pintos for modifications of the fuel tank system.
  4. Jones, William H. (June 10, 1978). "Ford Recalls 1.5 Million Small Cars. Ford Recalls 1.5 Million Pintos, Bobcats, Pintos, Bolcats Face Alteration To Cut Fire Risk". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 4, 2016. But NHTSA, a Department of Transportation agency, informed Ford on May 8 about results of the new investigation, which concluded that Pintos had a safety defect...Ford Motor Co. yesterday recalled 1.5 million Pinto and Mercury Bobcat cars, to make alterations that will reduce the risk of fuel tank fires in rear-end accidents...Yesterday's recall, one of the largest in automotive history, was not the first involving the Pinto...
  5. Lee, Matthew T; Ermann, M David (February 1999). "Pinto "Madness" as a Flawed Landmark Narrative: An Organizational and Network Analysis". Social Problems 46 (1): 30–47. ...the Pinto was the subject of the largest recall in automobile history at the time.
  6. Archived October 18, 2009, at the Wayback Machine.
  7. Jeffrey Gold, Importer told to recall Chinese tires, AP, June 25, 2007
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  11. Sony VAIO type T TZ series recall announcement (Japanese)
  12. Andrew Martin and Michael Moss "Salmonella in Pistachios Spurs Recall" New York Times.
  13. Jerry Hirsch "Nestle recalls all of its refrigerated cookie dough" Los Angeles Times
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  21. Archived February 1, 2011, at the Wayback Machine.
  22. "IKEA Cribs Recalled for Entrapment, Suffocation Hazard". NewsInferno. 2011-02-18. Retrieved 2012-11-03.
  23. "Honda recalling nearly 700,000 small cars - Business - Autos | NBC News". MSNBC. 2011-02-17. Retrieved 2012-11-03.
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  26. "Food Standards Agency - FRijj Strawberry Milkshake recalled". Food.gov.uk. Retrieved 2012-11-03.
  27. "Maggi noodles recalled over salmonella scare". ABS-CBN News. 2012-10-30. Retrieved 2012-11-03.
  28. "Topic Galleries". Chicago Tribune.
  29. Mayes, Jessica. "Tyson recalls ground beef in KY and IN - wave3.com-Louisville News, Weather & Sports". Wave3.com. Retrieved 2012-11-03.
  30. "Ricotta salata cheese tied to 3 listeria deaths, 14 hospitalizations - Vitals". Vitals.nbcnews.com. Retrieved 2012-11-03.
  31. "Bell Sports Recalls BMX Bike Helmets Due to Risk of Head Injury". Prnewswire.com. 2013-03-28. Retrieved 2014-01-18.
  32. "Log In - The New York Times". Retrieved 14 December 2015.
  33. "344,000 Minivans Recalled by Honda for Brake Problem". 3 November 2013. Retrieved 14 December 2015 via The New York Times.
  34. "Sleepharmony Pink Youth Beds Recalled by Glideaway Due to Violation of Lead Paint Standard". Prnewswire.com. Retrieved 2014-01-18.
  35. "Landscape Structures Recalls Oodle Swings Due to Injury Hazard (Recall Alert)". CPSC.gov. 2013-12-23. Retrieved 2014-01-18.
  36. "Michelin Recalls 1.2 Million Tires". The New York Times. 15 December 2013. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
  37. JoNel Aleccia. "Kraft Recalls 1.2 Million Cases of Cottage Cheese". NBC News. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
  38. "Takata Doubles Airbag Inflator Recall to 34 Million Cars, Divulges Epic Failure Rates – News – Car and Driver - Car and Driver Blog". Retrieved 14 December 2015.
  39. "Beats Pill XL Speaker Recall Program". Retrieved 14 December 2015.
  40. "Mars recalls chocolate in 55 countries - BBC News". BBC News. Retrieved 2016-03-15.
  41. "Electrical Safety Council product recall list". Esc.org.uk. Retrieved 2014-01-18.
  42. "Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency: safety warnings". Mhra.gov.uk. Retrieved 2014-01-18.
  43. "Trading Standards Institute: recalls". Tradingstandards.gov.uk. 2009-02-15. Retrieved 2014-01-18.
  44. Katsarelas, Max (2014-05-14). "Car Shoppers Don't Care About Recalls". Mojo Motors. Archived from the original on 2014-05-19. Retrieved 2014-05-19.
  45. "Car recalls: What you need to know". 30 October 2014. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
  46. 1 2 FDA 21 CFR § 7.42
  47. Dietrich B. Conze and Claire Kruger. Food Technology, 11-13, pg21

External links

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