An Actual Recall and the Most Likely Reaction of Other Parties

This poll was posted to the GCSE-Food & Health Protection Group on LinkedIn in 2012. 

Poll Question: 
If your company goes through an actual recall, what is the most likely situation that you expect it to face, A, B or C? 

Situation A: 

- If certified to a food safety program, the certifying body yanks its certificate from your company and waits for things to be fixed. They insist on another full audit with your company bearing the full cost, etc.; 

- Customers pounce on you to claim damages; 
- Government (public protection) agencies find the opportunity to levy fines on your company and lay criminal charges; 
- Competitors take it as the opportunity for negative advertisement against your company 

Situation B: 

- If certified to a food safety program, the certifying body stands by you to help you get through the situation and contributes in ways that minimize operation re-assessment costs; 
- Customers and consumers take an active part in helping to resolve the root cause of the recall and voluntarily help to fund the solution; 
- Government (public protection) agencies provide funds (loans) that you will pay back without interest to help you protect the consuming public likely affected by the recall; 
- Competitors realize that they are also affected and embark on advertisement to restore consumer confidence in the industry as a whole. 

Situation C: 
- Nobody cares; 
- Consumers, customers, certification bodies, government agencies, competitors, et cetera simply leave you alone and do not hold you accountable.

Which of these situations, A, B or C do you think is most likely to occur?

Posted By Felix Amiri

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Felix Amiri is the current Food Industry Chair of GCSE-Food & Health Protection.