What to Look for in Your Recall Management Team

Since the turn of the decade, there’s been a notable increase in the number of food safety recalls, stressing already strained industry stakeholders still in the midst of economic recovery. In fact, the first quarter of 2023 brought about an all-time high in the number of recalls, emphasizing how important stringent food safety measures and robust recall management systems remain for companies throughout the food supply chain. 

Given how much is at stake during a recall, it’s critical to assemble a well-qualified and skilled food recall management team to mitigate further risks and liabilities. Each role must be filled by team members with specific skills, experience, and competencies to perform their duties with the utmost care and professionalism. 

The Key Members of a Food Recall Management Team 

The ideal food recall management team is made up of pre-selected and meticulously trained experts who are capable and ready to respond when a recall occurs. It’s crucial that this team encompasses representatives from every department and discipline within the organization to ensure the most comprehensive response. The key roles to fill in a recall team are: 

1. Recall Coordinator 

The recall coordinator is the leader of your food recall management team, in charge of directing and overseeing all recall-related activities. They often report directly to the top leadership of your company about the status of a recall, including the board of directors. 

To be an effective coordinator, this food recall management team member needs in-depth knowledge of both industry best practices and your company’s operations. Just as important, they must possess impeccable and fast decision-making skills as they will ultimately decide the outcome of a product recall, including the impact on your company’s reputation. To maximize their decision-making ability, your coordinator must be able to source expertise from their other team members. Typically, the best recall managers come from a quality assurance background. 

2. Consumer/Public Relations Lead 

Consumer and public relations reps directly interface with the public to answer inquiries and complaints about a food safety recall. They also develop and execute media communication strategies to address product recalls and help communicate the steps being taken to protect public health, which is key to maintaining a company's reputation after a crisis is over. If the public relations rep does not give interviews directly to the media, then they will train your company’s official spokesperson on response strategies and how to remain cool under pressure during a media appearance. 

The food recall management team members that fill these roles will need a deep understanding of crisis management and ideally excel in consumer relations, such as serving on call lines, responding to product complaints, managing social media, and other highly public roles. 

3. Logistics Manager 

The logistics manager is immediately responsible for stopping distribution of products affected by a recall, as well as overseeing their return or destruction. To do this, they need to be able to track exactly where inventory has been delivered. 

This team member’s role requires a detailed knowledge of your company’s supply chain, and, preferably, strong relationships with different vendors and retailers who can aid in product tracking and recovery. They should have a well-rounded background in supply chain management or logistics. 

4. Legal Counsel 

This member of the food recall management team acts to protect company interests throughout a recall, including providing counsel during a recall to improve regulatory compliance. Later, they will play a key role in managing litigation stemming from a food safety recall. The ideal candidate for this role has extensive legal expertise in consumer law and product-specific regulations, and could currently serve as in-house counsel for your company. 

5. Sales Representative 

Sales managers play a key role in maintaining communication with retailers and other customers throughout the recall process, and may directly assist the logistics manager in the product tracking and recovery process. The ideal candidate for this food recall management team role has strong, established relationships with the retailers directly affected by a recall and can help smooth over any ill will resulting from it. 

Level Up Your Food Recall Management Team With AIB International 

Ensuring your recall management team is up for the challenges they’ll face during a recall requires expert training from knowledgeable educators. That’s why it’s important to invest in courses from the best. 

AIB International has a long and storied history preparing food safety stakeholders for their responsibilities throughout the food supply chain. Whether you’re looking to develop the skills it takes to be a recall coordinator or simply want to get team members up to speed on how to succeed during a food safety emergency, our Crisis Management Online course can help. Click here to learn more.