Dive Brief:
- The FDA is considering whether to create recall procedures and notification methods meant particularly for online retailers.
- Garden of Life LLC recalled its organic Raw Meal supplement powders Jan. 29 (and increased the recall Feb. 13) after they were linked to a salmonella outbreak that sickened 33 people and hospitalized six. The CDC said the outbreak ended April 21.
- Wisconsin health officials recently reported the latest victim of the outbreak, who, among others affected by the outbreak, purchased the supplement powders online from retailers like Amazon and eBay. It's unclear if the consumer knew the product was recalled or if the retailer notified the consumer of the recall, according to Food Safety News.
Dive Insight:
While the FDA is considering specific courses of action to handle recalls at the online retail level, the CDC has not said it would take similar actions.
In a time when consumers are buying more products online, the long shelf life of manufacturers' shelf-stable food and beverage products makes ensuring a product is removed from all purchase avenues — particularly online retailers — more complex.
This could reopen closed investigations. Determining specific recall procedures for online retailers could prevent this scenario in the future by ensuring recalled products aren't purchased long after the fact.
While the FDA determines a course of action, manufacturers can develop their own recall procedures and notification methods for online retailers as they create FSMA compliance plans. That could mean posting recall notifications on online listings for their products at retailers' sites or encouraging the online retailer to contact all vendors of the recalled product to ensure they remove the recalled lot(s) from their inventory.
Having a plan to deal with online retailers during a recall is crucial, particularly as more companies embrace the potential sales offered by online channels.