Let us speak about food recalls.

Food recalls in the last three months.

Food recalls in the last three months that have been reported.

Food recalls in the last three months that have been reported and published online.

Food recalls in the last three months that have been reported and published online in the Food Engineering Magazine only.

The following table summarises the same.

 

#

Company

Recalled Product

Recall Reason

1

A leading retailer Private Label:

Triple berry medley, 48 oz.

Triple berry medley, 16 oz.

Blackberries, 16 oz.

Hepatitis A virus found in blackberry samples

2

Multinational meat pocessor 190,000 pounds of frozen chicken Hard plastic found in the patties

3

Gourmet packaged foods manufacturer Golden raisins in plastic packages of three sizes Sulfites that were not listed on labels found

4

Leading sausage manufacturer 95,000 pounds of jalapeño cheddar smoked sausages Hard, green plastic pieces found

5

Transnational retailer Private Label (ADM Milling):

All-purpose flour packaged for ALDI

E. coli strain linked to an outbreak found in samples

6

Meat packaging company 62,000 pounds of raw beef products E. coli found in random samples

7

Leading Tahini manufacturer Tahini 16-ounce jars and 39-pound buckets Salmonella Concord found in sesame seed samples

8

Multinational meat pocessor

12,000,000 pounds of frozen chicken strips Metal pieces found (closely related to #2 on this list)

9

Leading premium food manufacturer 113,000 pounds of raw ground beef E. coli contamination

10

Meat packaging company 53,000 pounds of raw ground beef E. coli contamination

11

Leading beef processor 43,000 pounds of ground beef Hard plastic pieces found in sample

12

Leading avocado grower and distributor Whole avocados sold in bulk Listeria contamination

13

Leading meat processor 78,000 pounds of raw ground turkey Salmonella contamination

14

Organic food manufacturer Organic bean sprouts Listeria monocytogenes

 

What this table tries to convey is that irrespective of whether investment is made on food safety or not, there always tends to be lapses in manufacturing. Given the dynamic nature of the food industry and the inherent competition at the elite level, presence, volumes and numbers are everything. When a manufacturing unit products 100 tonnes of product per hour, a certain percentage is always counted off as ‘waste’. But the last thing an organization wants is this ‘waste’ being identified in the hands of customers.

Lots of money may be invested on having initiatives such as Six Sigma, Lean Manufacturing, 5S and other Total Quality Management principles. These principles however instruct an organization to behave in a certain manner ‘given’ the existing resources. A need for change is suggested only when there is a lapse. Hence in such cases, it is not possible to predict when a problem arises but when it does arise, it is tagged as an ‘incident’, goes through the incident management process and is closed with correct and preventive actions. In such cases, the damage might have already been done! It is thus imperative to go a layer deeper where possible lapses must be predicted well in advance and measures must be taken without chances of negative incidents/lapses.

In the table above, one of the main reasons of product recall happens to be bacterial/fungal contamination. F&B industry is such a sensitive industry wherein even if there is presence of contamination in the machinery used, it could spread and contaminate foods. Here arises a need for Hygienic machinery. What is hygienic machinery? It could be defined as the machinery that has been manufactured with careful engineering design and food grade materials of construction so that harmful microorganisms cannot thrive on the surface of the machinery. Further, hygienic machinery are ones that can be cleaned on a periodic basis with strong cleaning techniques based on a robust sanitation program.

Sinteco manufactures all its machinery with different levels of hygiene based on specific requirements. From Air Conditioning & Distribution HVAC systems to Food Processing & Preservation machinery, Sinteco has been manufacturing for the Food industry for more than 40 years. Additionally, Sinteco also manufactures Hygienic prefabricated processing rooms (like Cleanrooms) integrated with Air Conditioning & Distribution systems for specific applications in food processing.

Is your business facing the risk of product recall and do you want to take a step further in preventing such recalls? Get in touch with us today!