There was a sizeable drop from the previous quarter, which was higher than most, but for the second year running, a high second quarter was followed by a lower third quarter, said the firm.
Total recall notifications were 742 in the third quarter 2013, 804 in Q2 2014 and 705 in Q3 2014. This equates to a year on year drop of 5% and 12% quarter by quarter.
It said two things can help tackle recalls – at the front end with quality monitoring in the production process and also during so issues can be raised to the surface instead of being missed.
Why the drop?
Farzad Henareh, European managing director at Stericycle ExpertSOLUTIONS, said the main reasons were production stop compared to last quarter and fewer introductions of new products ahead of the next quarter.
“New products in Q4 are sold more and there is more potential for risk in these products, especially if you are working with new suppliers,” he told FoodQualityNews.com.
“In the next quarter if you relate back to previous years there have been high volume and new products. Companies think months ahead in terms of seasonality and in food it has an even bigger role when looking at and answering trends in the market.
“For Q3 it is the same kind of primary sources in terms of country and the drop of recalls is from a decrease of the introduction of products and production volume.”
Comparison with previous quarters The UK, Germany and Italy remained the primary sources for recalls - reflecting the economies of the bigger countries.
Seven of the eight top categories were the same as the previous quarter, said Henareh.
“This relates back to what we talked about in the previous quarter and where they import food fraud and the shift in production in Eastern Europe competing more with each other and other continents.
“Food supplements are something we are seeing more and more of with people conscious of a healthy lifestyle, it is an upcoming trend and one to keep an eye on.”
Those categories were: fruit and veg (23%), nuts, nut products and seeds (14%), fish and fish products 10%, dietetic foods, supplements and fortified foods (9%), meat and meat products (not poultry) 8%, herbs and spices 6% (new entry) and poultry meat and products (6%) cereal and bakery products (3%).
Recall event preparation
The key is prevention and simplifying the supply chain, working with less suppliers. The firm offers a quality audit with field agents to come in and look at systems to nip problems in the bud, said Henareh.
“With social media monitoring there is an algorithm which we call social media buzz so if there is an issue related to product or a brand we can see it," he said.
“A risk assessment can confirm a wider issue, if an event occurs then there is a recall plan in place. It needs to be standard operating procedure to manage recalls if you are selling and marketing a product.
“Sometimes companies try and keep quiet but there is a balance between transparent communication and taking proactive measures to turn a recall event into something that builds customer and brand loyalty, you need to think pre and post event.”