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One of the worst-case scenarios for many companies is finding a product that has already been sold and distributed is defective or dangerous. In these circumstances, a recall order is often necessary. Most recall orders are voluntary on behalf of the manufacturers. Only on rare occasions will the FDA mandate a recall. A recall is dangerous for a company in terms of reputation, brand loyalty, profitability, and, most importantly, customer safety.
If you have a product recalled by the FDA, you need to take a series of steps to ensure that you follow protocol.
Notify the FDA
The first step after determining that a product is dangerous or defective is notifying the FDA. The FDA will request a series of documents from a company to verify the need for a recall and help the company accomplish it. This process should be done quickly. The faster the FDA is involved, the easier it will be to manage.
Few companies have recall policies or product destruction departments in place, so getting assistance managing the crisis is vital.
Contact Buyers and Distributors
The next step in a recall process is to contact the points where the recall order will be enforced. Often this will be a distributor, manufacturer, or a list of wholesale buyers. These places will need to be informed of the recall with relevant information to find and hold the recalled products. The FDA may work with you to inform your customers via targeted messages if the product has already been sold to customers. If that is not feasible, they may inform the public of the recall via press releases and media coverage.
Find a Reputable Destruction Company
The next step in managing a recall is to deal with the defective, damaged, or dangerous products. This step can be risky. Many companies offer destruction services but instead sell defective products to third parties for destruction. This can drive up costs and increase the risk of the defective products being resold on the grey or black markets. This is something that companies should seek to avoid for legal, ethical, and practical reasons. Destruction Central provides onsite destruction of all products, with no third-party actors. This reduces the risk of defective products being resold and limits liability for the company recalling the product.
Destruction Central can destroy products through various methods depending on the nature of the product and the type of hazard the product represents.
Receive a Certificate of Destruction
The final step of the recall process is receiving a certificate of destruction for the destroyed products. Destruction Central provides this documentation, along with video evidence of destruction upon request. This certificate should be provided to the FDA to certify the completion of the recall process.
Interested in Learning More About Recalled Product Destruction?
If you require safe and certified destruction of recalled products, give us a call at (909) 906-6050 or visit us online to learn more.
