Food Recall Plan for FSSAI License 2022

Food Recall Plan means the procedures and arrangements that a food business operator shall have in place
to retrieve food and food products from the food chain if a problem arises.

 

Objectives of the food recall procedure. —

(1) Ensure removal of food under recall from all stages of the food chain in accordance with section 28 of the Act;
(2) ensure dissemination of information to concerned consumers and customers; and
(3) ensure retrieval, destruction or reprocessing of food under recall.

Role of the Food Authority under recall Plan-

The Food Authority’s main role in a recall is to monitor the progress of the recall and assess the adequacy of the action taken by the FBO in this regard.

After a recall is completed, the Food Authority will make sure that the product is destroyed or suitably improved. Where the recall is related to serious defects in the manufacturing process, the concerned authority may review the license of the FBO concerned.

The Food Authority will publicize the recall when it is of the opinion that the public need to be alerted about a health hazard or that clarification of the situation needs to be made to allay public worries.
In cases of public health emergencies, the Food Authority may, depending on the available evidence, alert the public before a decision on recall has been reached.

Role of the industry under Recall Plan-

Food Business Operators carry the prime responsibility of implementing the recall, and for ensuring compliance with the recall procedure at its various stages including follow-up checks to ensure that recalls are successful and that subsequent batches of the food products are safe for human consumption.

If a food business operator considers or has reason to believe that a food which has processed, manufactured, distributed or imported is not in compliance with the food safety requirements.

It shall immediately initiate procedures to recall the food in question from the market where the food has left the immediate control of that initial food business operator and inform the competent authorities thereof.

Where the product may have reached the consumer, the operator shall effectively and accurately inform the consumers of the reason for its recall, and if necessary, recall food product from consumer that have already supplied to them.

A food business operator shall immediately inform the competent authorities if it considers or has reason to believe that a food which it has placed on the market may be unsafe for the consumers.

FBO shall inform the competent authorities of the action taken to prevent risks to the final consumer and shall not prevent or discourage any person from cooperating, with national law and concerned authorities, where this may prevent, reduce or eliminate a risk arising from a food.

Food business operators shall collaborate with the concerned authorities on action taken to avoid or reduce risks posed by a food which they supply or have supplied.

Food recall plan (Recall plan for Food)

All food business operators as prescribed in the regulation 7 of Food Safety and standards (Food Recall Procedure) regulations, 2017 must have an up-to-date recall plan as provided in Annex (Model recall Plan)- I.

At the time of recall being carried out, the FBO shall submit their detailed recall plan to the CEO, FSSAI. A brief step by step procedure and its description are as below.

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Conducting a recall plan-

Step 1: assemble your recall management team

At the very beginning of the recall the FBO should initiate the formation of recall management team and assign the recall duties to each person and should ensure that all members of the recall management team are informed of the decision to conduct a recall and each member knows their responsibilities during the recall.

The team should include people responsible for:
1. Decision making
2. Quality assurance / technical advisory
3. Media communication
4. Complaint investigation
5. Contacting accounts
6. Food Authority Contact
7. Legal Counsel

The management team document should contain the following:

Recall Plan Management Team

Name	Alternate Person	Business Phone	After Hours Phone	Resposibilities During Recall

 

Step 2: Inform the authority

Inform the concerned regulatory authority at the earliest opportunity, after an incident is identified that may lead to a recall and should be updated throughout the process.

The information should include the following:

1. a detailed description of the nature of the problem
2. the name, brand, size, lot code(s) affected
3. details of complaints received and any reported illnesses
4. the distribution of the product – local or national
5. when was the product distributed (specific dates)
6. label(s) of the product(s) which may be recalled
7. the total quantity of product manufactured and distributed
8. the name of your firm’s contact with the authority
9. the name and telephone number(s) for your firm’s after-hours contact the detailed information is given under Schedule I of FSS (Recall Procedure) Regulations, 2017

 

Download Sample Recall Plan for FSSAI License 2022-23

You may Download the Recall Plan for Food (FSSAI) by click on below download link

Download Here

 

Step 3: identify all products to be recalled

It is the responsibility of FBO to ensure that all products which need to be recalled
are identified. In addition to those products directly affected by the problem, the FBO
should:

• determine if any other codes, brands or sizes of the same product are affected
• determine if any other products are affected

Step 4: detain and segregate products to be recalled which are in your firm’s control

The FBO should ensure that all products to be recalled that are in your firm’s control
are not distributed and;

• determine the locations of the recalled product(s) e.g. on-site, at the plant, offsite storage
• determine the amounts at each location
• identify and segregate products to prevent distribution

Step 5: prepare and distribute the information of recall

Informing the Consumer: – Depending on the extent of the recall, the company concerned should inform the consumer of the recall at the earliest possible moment.
Information dissemination may take the form of a press release, letter to the concerned parties or paid advertisement in the media. Sufficient telephone hotline service should be made available to deal with enquiries.