In the Media

Roger Hancock speaks with Dr. Darin Detwiler about the Alliance for Recall Ready Communities. Part 1/6.

What happens when the FDA says, “Help us help you!” in the middle of recall chaos? You get an impromptu – and enlightening – episode featuring food recall expert Roger Hancock, CEO of Recall InfoLink.

A food recall can hit your restaurant without warning. If your team isn’t ready to act immediately, you risk harming your customers and your brand. We’ve seen it happen: a supplier delivers a contaminated ingredient, it gets served unknowingly, and the recall makes national news. But when handled well, public health risks are minimized, and brand reputation stays intact.

Recalls are meant to protect consumers, but the process doesn’t always work the way it should. Here’s what a good recall looks like, and what to watch for when things aren’t handled properly.

Numerous recalls affecting tomatoes, cucumbers, and carrots have arisen after major incidents last year, leading to a 57% increase in produce recalls in early 2025. With consumer trust at a low, businesses must prioritize effective recall management. Key strategies include planning, running mock simulations, and leveraging technology for traceability. Communication must be clear and timely, and compliance documented meticulously. Ultimately, proper recall management can mitigate damage, safeguard public health, and preserve brand reputation, as emphasized by Roger Hancock of Recall InfoLink.

At the recent Food Safety Summit in Chicago, I attended an important session, “Recall Modernization Initiatives with the Consumer in Mind.” The message from the stage was that the industry knows consumer communication around recalls needs work. Recalls are meant to protect the public, but communication to consumers is often confusing, delayed, or inaccessible. After all, communication efforts aren’t effective if consumers are unaware of recalls, confused about which products are being recalled, or unsure what to do if they’ve purchased or consumed recalled products.Panelists from FDA, consumer advocates, and communication experts all agreed: The way we alert consumers about recalls isn’t working.

‍

Many food businesses treat mock recalls as a compliance checkbox. Once they’ve checked the box, they don’t think about it again until another year rolls around or they have a safety breach that triggers a recall. This is a mistake, however, since recalls can impact a company’s brand reputation, operational stability, and economic bottom line. Consider recall preparedness to be a high-return investment that protects revenue, preserves brand equity, and strengthens long-term resilience.

Even the most safety-conscious food brand can have a food safety breach and subsequent recall. The variety of possibilities for error ranges broadly from a supplier inadvertently bringing them contaminated products, an employee making an innocent mistake, or foods being temperature-abused in transit. Therefore, food businesses must be prepared to effectively handle a recall, with the proper systems and tools in place to mitigate public health risks (and other potential recall fallout).

‍

The goal of food safety is safe food, as the adage goes, “If it isn’t safe, it isn’t food.” Recalls play a huge role in that effort. While consumers often view recalls as a negative, in reality, recalls can be pivotal to protect public safety. Recalls themselves shouldn’t be a source of fear for consumers — rather, they should fear the harm that may result from a failed corrective action.

While no food business ever wants to issue a recall, when they do, their top priority must always be to reduce potential harm and protect public health. When food safety or quality has been compromised, food companies must issue a recall to protect consumers and their brand. Since every minute counts in a recall situation, it’s essential for food brands to take every step —  and use the right tools — to maximize speed, accuracy, and transparency for faster, smarter recalls.

While complete elimination of recalls is the aspiration, a more realistic goal is a “closer to zero” mindset. The food industry must put systems in place to continually bring the number of at-risk products in the marketplace closer to zero.

While companies and regulators are responsible for issuing and managing recalls, it’s consumers who sometimes catch problems first. Whether it’s a shopper spotting mold inside a sealed package or a parent realizing their child had an allergic reaction to a product without a warning label, real consumers have helped trigger recalls before major harm was done.

With contamination risks and labeling corrections increasing, the importance of recall management is at an all-time high. Roger Hancock, CEO of Recall InfoLink, shares tips for an effective food recall plan.

Recent recalls underscore the importance of integrated recall planning and communication across the entire pet food supply chain.

As the media continues to report on these incidents, many industry leaders worry that any press coverage could damage their brand reputation and ruin public trust. It’s time to shift that mindset, viewing the media as an ally instead of an adversary. In truth, the media can be a huge asset during recalls, rather than a threat.

More than 80 percent of consumers are worried about food recalls. It’s understandable – recent widespread, highly publicized food recalls involving deli meats, cucumbers, onions, frozen waffles, and more have created confusion and frustration. Compounding the problem, recall communication is known for being slow, unclear and incomplete. Consumers are increasingly voicing concern about the unaddressed issues that continue to impact public health.

‍

Amid ongoing uncertainty under the new administration, food processors can protect their brands and their consumers by collaborating with supply chain partners, standardizing recall processes and data, and practicing with recall simulations.

As the food industry faces increasing uncertainty under the new administration and new regulations, being recall ready is more important than ever. The transition highlights the challenges that shifting federal priorities create for maintaining consistent food safety practices across our industry. Even with the most stringent food safety protocols in place, every food business is vulnerable to safety breaches – and subsequent recalls.

The CEO discusses his new article, shifting food safety policies under the Trump administration, and tools companies can use to manage and minimize the effects of product recalls.

Food recalls are often described as safeguards for public health, but in reality, they reveal cracks in our food safety systems. Take the recent deadly Boar’s Head outbreak which involved more than 7 million pounds of ready-to-eat deli meats contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. While Boar’s Head issued a recall and notified retailers to pull affected products, this action came several weeks after reports of illnesses and fatalities surfaced. Worse, the number of affected products significantly increased after the first recall notice, extending the risk to consumers.

During a food recall, the primary focus must be on protecting public health, with supply chain partners working cooperatively to remove potentially contaminated products from the marketplace. The recalling company is responsible for distributing accurate information to key audiences, and the media plays an essential role when consumers may be affected. Rather than asking “how can we avoid negative publicity during a recall?,” food businesses can flip the question to “how can we harness the power of the media to help us protect the public and our brand?”

‍

Restaurants have been managing food recalls for years. Chi Chi’s green onions were recalled after making consumers sick. Wendy’s inadvertently served contaminated lettuce that was later recalled. More recently, McDonalds was involved in a widespread recall after onions were found to be contaminated with E. coli. Recalls can happen to any restaurant, at any time.

While it’s important for the recalling company to use internal channels like websites, social media, and loyalty databases to share information, that alone is not enough to reach a wide audience. Food businesses must work closely and collaboratively with the media to generate awareness and provide instructions on next steps.

Numerous recalls affecting tomatoes, cucumbers, and carrots have arisen after major incidents last year, leading to a 57% increase in produce recalls in early 2025. With consumer trust at a low, businesses must prioritize effective recall management. Key strategies include planning, running mock simulations, and leveraging technology for traceability. Communication must be clear and timely, and compliance documented meticulously. Ultimately, proper recall management can mitigate damage, safeguard public health, and preserve brand reputation, as emphasized by Roger Hancock of Recall InfoLink.

A recall can hit your restaurant without warning. If your team isn’t ready to act immediately, you risk harming your customers and your brand. We’ve seen it happen: a supplier delivers a contaminated ingredient, it gets served unknowingly, and the recall makes national news. But when handled well, public health risks are minimized, and brand reputation stays intact.

Suppose your company received ground beef from your regular supplier right before news broke about a widespread ground beef recall. Would you know what to do? Could you accurately determine whether you received tainted meat, facilitate data-sharing with your trading partners, pull impacted products from your restaurants, and communicate about the incident to employees, customers, and other key stakeholders?