Recall Lessons Learned From the Beef Industry

Employees are a key variable in this equation, and a focused food safety training program is essential. More importantly, food safety staff must be able to observe whether employee food safety training and other processes are actually translating to the desired behaviors, and the best way to accomplish this is by spending as much time as possible on the production floor observing and interacting with employees.

A second variable in the basic food safety equation is suppliers. One of the greatest challenges in today’s food industry is managing a diverse and dynamic supply chain. A lesson that has emerged from beef processors is that successful supplier relationships in any food production system depend on a few key factors: the number of suppliers, the ability to assess supplier compliance using staff or third-party audits, and the ability of the recordkeeping system to track raw materials from multiple suppliers. It is critical to manage each factor to ensure that suppliers are providing raw materials that meet specifications.

When a Recall Hits

Trends seem to indicate that foodborne illness outbreaks are affecting a wider range of products than ever before, which means that even food industry sectors unaccustomed to recalls must review their crisis response procedures. Unfortunately, operations that have never experienced a recall may find it difficult to make crisis preparedness a priority.

While many companies have a crisis plan filed in a drawer in the front office, a recall situation will quickly expose its weaknesses. It is vital that food producers identify weaknesses in advance, and, short of an actual recall, conducting mock recalls is often the best way to test recall procedures. In particular, engaging suppliers and customers will add invaluable insights to a mock recall process.

Mock recalls can yield especially helpful lessons when conducted outside the normal working day, on weekends and holidays, and when key staff are unavailable. Since actual recalls can be initiated at any time, testing crisis preparedness procedures at inopportune times will help ensure the most robust recall response possible.

One way the beef industry has encouraged safety innovation is through the Beef Industry Food Safety Council (BIFSCo). Formed in 1997, BIFSCo unites leaders from every beef industry, from ranchers to retailers and restaurateurs, under the principle that food safety is a noncompetitive issue.

BIFSCo supports the beef industry’s commitment to safety by providing a forum for frank discussions on beef safety challenges, authoring and distributing beef safety education and training materials, monitoring emerging beef safety threats, keeping the industry up to date on the latest beef safety research developments, and identifying knowledge gaps to be addressed by future research.

Since its inception, BIFSCo has developed best practices documents that serve as the guide for food safety procedures at each stage of the beef production process. These documents are continually updated to keep up with the latest scientific developments in food safety and are available free of charge to farmers and ranchers, harvest operations, beef processing operations, restaurateurs, and retailers.

BIFSCo also hosts the annual Beef Industry Safety Summit, started in 2003, to bring the entire beef supply chain into one room to chart a course for future beef safety efforts, refine industry-wide best practices, and share the latest research findings.

Held each March, this year’s summit included valuable, practical information for operations throughout the beef supply chain. Highlights of the 2009 summit included a session summarizing lessons learned from product recalls, case studies from litigation on non-intact beef products, and other real world experiences.

The collaboration fostered by BIFSCo has been key to advancing beef safety, and if your operation involves beef, I encourage you to attend next year’s Beef Industry Safety Summit or consider BIFSCo membership. If you are involved in foods other than beef, I encourage you to participate in associations that can connect you with food safety professionals in your field. While the actions of individual operations are critically important, we must remember that consumers demand food safety regardless of brand, price point, or product. It will only be through the coordinated commitment of entire industries that we can truly address future food safety challenges.