GS1 is helping tackle the recall issues faced by the beverage and brewing sector across Australia. The recent demand for premium beverages has resulted in record sales for packaged drinks. Craft beers for one have received annual sales of $370 million and growing at a rate of around 10 per cent per year.
However, rapid growth can present new challenges, including navigating increased regulatory requirements and responsibilities.
The beverage industry is classified as a food manufacturer and all food manufacturers have a responsibility to produce and supply food that is safe and suitable.
When supplying to major retail chains, manufacturers are required to have a food safety program and product recall plan in place.
The call for strict regulations
Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ), the statutory authority in the Australian government health portfolio for product recall procedures, demonstrates foreign matter as one of the top three causes for product recalls.
Glass is the third most common type of foreign material, with bottle breakages the presence of glass chips during production being frequent causes.
Packaging faults and excessive pressure build up in cans have also been recorded in a recent spate of recalls.
If you need to recall a product, don’t panic
In the case of a recall or withdrawal, brand owners are required to notify regulators and customers that have received the recalled product as soon as possible.
The FSANZ website recommends, “Notifications should be followed up in writing by email, fax or through rapid electronic systems such as GS1 Recall. You should confirm that your customers have received your notification and keep a record of this communication to satisfy the post-recall reporting requirements”.
GS1 Recall is a digital platform available through GS1 Australia. A simple, yet powerful service available for the automatic communication of product recall notifications throughout the whole supply chain.
“We developed the Recall platform with input from our industry partners and regulatory bodies to ensure industry can communicate more effectively, using a consistent format, to fulfil their duty of care of providing safe products,” said Andrew Brown, Business Development Manager at GS1 Australia.
“During the process we learned that swift and effective communication is of utmost importance when it comes to minimising the impact and cost of a product recall for everyone.”
Mr Brown says that a major benefit of using a digital communication tool is that regulators and trading partners are notified in real-time at the click of a button, capturing evidence of communications and providing an audit trail of when actions and communications took place, delivering updates instantly to mobile devices.
GS1 Recall has been in use by major Australian retailers and suppliers for ten years and is a cost-effective way to prepare organisations in the event of a product recall, helping to protect products and brand reputation.
GS1 is a Corporate Partner of the Drinks Association.