PET Food Processing - March 2020 - 29

federal or state regulators can require that a
company initiate a recall if their sampling and
testing identifies a potential problem or following a review of consumer or veterinarian complaints," Brooks says. "Finally, the FDA has the
authority to force a product recall, if required."
Stroh says the most common reason for a
recall is the presence of a foreign material. "In
addition, they can be triggered by formulation
issues such as undeclared allergens or missing/
additional ingredients; improper labeling of the
product packaging; or contamination by bacteria that
can cause illness," he says.
Johnson says in the past few years, pet food recalls
have been triggered due to Salmonella; Listeria (in fresh
pet food); foreign material contamination with metal or
plastic; excessive vitamin levels or vitamin insufficiency;
hormones; and pentobarbital to name a few.

Tracking recalled product
Tracking and labeling recommendations will vary by the
type of product and shelf life of that product, but a good
minimum is to include the plant code where the product
was produced, the date it will expire and a period code,
Stroh says. "This way, if production is cut off in the event
of a suspected issue, you could narrow it down to a specific batch or line - the entire day's run wouldn't need to be
called into question and potentially wasted," he adds.
Stroh explains that code dates can be applied in a variety of ways depending on the type of package. "They can
be applied via laser, thermal or inkjet printing," he says.
"This could also apply to box labeling, but it's more common for processors to print labels with barcodes that
provide info on the box's contents."
Johnson says it's important that packages have clear
printing to ensure full lot traceability, noting that some
customers have very defined processes around creation
of the lot codes.

Communicating with consumers
The pet food industry operates in a highly emotional
space and companies need to be prepared for a strong
consumer reaction upon a recall announcement, Brooks

says. "Take the time before a recall occurs to consider
your organization's own capabilities and messaging,"
she says. "Do you have the resources to respond to the
public? What are your core messages and values that you
want conveyed, and how will you share that during a crisis? Just as pet food makers develop a food safety plan,
now is the time to consider a messaging plan, as well."
Communicating early and often with consumers is
critical in a recall, Mitchell says. Processors also must
continue to remind consumers of their values, through
proper messaging. "Emphasizing to consumers that the
processor cares about the safety of their products and
has robust food safety protocols in place is important,"
Mitchell says. "Also, reminding consumers that processors are pet lovers themselves and that's why assuring
pet food safety is their priority and responsibility."
Consumer confidence in a processor will be directly
related to how the recall is managed. "Was the processor quick to let consumers know of the recall? Did the
processor take all the right steps? Are there measures in
place to assure what caused the recall will not happen
again?" Mitchell asks.
Johnson says notifying customers about a recall is
typically done through a webpage notification and some
in-store notifications from the retailer directly to the end
customer. "Recalls are quite costly at any level, and thus,
preparation of your program including communication
programs, public relations and social media monitoring
are highly important to creating a program that can be
properly implemented if a real recall should occur."
Posting in-store signage should be considered on a

Having the right
equipment to identify foreign materials
helps processors
avoid recalls by
identifying a problem before product
is shipped.
TOMRA

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PET Food Processing - March 2020

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