0.6 Food safety: introduction to incident management  (Page 3/4)

When you become aware of an issue or incident, you must gather as much information as possible in order to understand fully the hazard, the nature of the complaint/issue, and its significance.

There are three steps to the analysis of incidents:

1. identifying the hazard’s effects: the nature of the possible effects on consumer safety
2. assessing the risk to the consumer: as accurate an assessment as possible of the exposure to the consumer and the safety risk involved
3. assessing the actions required: determining the options available to ensure consumer safety and making the decisions about what actions are appropriate and must be taken.

Decisions should be made using knowledge and advice from a number of reliable sources such as the expertise of employees with the company, reference to literature, government officials, research associations, consultants, and/ or customers. The decision-making process, however, should be carried out in a timely manner since delay could lead to increased risk of exposure to customers, which should be avoided at all costs.

If your company supplies large retailers and manufacturers, these companies may have highly qualified staff that can also assist you in making necessary decisions.

Required action

There are four courses of action which can be taken following careful decision-making:

1. review, revise, and continue to monitor the current situation
2. quarantine the product within your control but do not inform customers
3. provide information to customers
4. initiate a product recall.

You may determine after careful consideration that the information and data reviewed indicates that no significant corrective action is required at that time. But you will need to continue to monitor the situation carefully and frequently.

If a product is unsafe and you have decided that the situation dictates that the product must not be dispatched to any customer, the product shall be immediately quarantined and under no circumstances released from your control.

If you believe there is significant risk to the consumer or reputation of your customer and the product has already been dispatched and is not now directly controlled by your company, you must take urgent steps to inform your customers. Customers will have differing requirements in place and will react differently. You need to provide as much accurate information to them as possible to allow them to act quickly to quarantine the product in their supply chain.

In the event that there is evidence that the product poses a risk to the health of consumers and there is a likelihood that consumers have bought or could consume the product, you must recall the product.

Product Recall

The process by which a product is removed from the market, where the product has reached consumers and they are advised to return or destroy products supplied to them.

Complaint handling

The importance of an effective complaint-handling system cannot be emphasized enough. Complaint feedback provides invaluable information to you as the person responsible for food safety on your performance and the effectiveness of food safety and quality systems.