It has recently been reported in the UK national and trade press that certain products, from pesto supplier Sacla', have potentially got peanuts in the ingredients, without it being reported on the outer label, as required by law. As Pret a Manger found out in 2019, this is a very serious issue for people with any food allergies, and it highlights an important reminder for all suppliers.
Do you have a formal plan in place, in the case of an Emergency Product Withdrawal (EPW)?
Well done if so, but many suppliers do not. Not only can an EPW be very complex to manage, and costly for suppliers and retailers alike, it can also be extremely dangerous to members of the public if you do not act quickly enough, not to mention the negative impact it can have on your brand credentials.
It is a useful exercise to contingency plan for such a scenario, regardless of the type of product you supply. Granted you cannot plan for every single EPW scenario that can occur, but it helps to have plan in place to cover such points as; internal communications, customer communications, retailer depot stock collection plan, having a field sales team on stand by to collect stock from store if required etc.
Hopefully you don't have to put your EPW plan into action, but at least having a plan will take the stress out of the situation if it does occur, and will mean you're much quicker to react and fix the problem, if it does.
As they say 'Prepare for the worst, and hope for the best!'.
Comentarios