FlexXray Blog

A recall of any product potentially has a significant negative impact on its manufacturer. Recalls are expensive, not only from the financial hit they incur in lost sales and other direct costs, but also in the lasting impact recalls can have on a brand’s reputation. Without an effective online reputation management strategy, food producers can suffer even greater losses.

Determining the cost of a food crisis such as a recall is difficult, because it goes far beyond the hard costs. Food Safety Magazine identifies recalls as “the food industry’s biggest threat to profitability,” and the numbers back up that observation. The magazine reports that the average recall costs a company at least $10 million, which includes both the direct costs of recalling and destroying the food, as well as notifying the necessary regulatory agencies, the supply chain and the consumers.

The bill continues rising from there; there’s the expense of labor to complete all of the above actions, as well as the cost of running replacement product. But perhaps the greatest cost — and the one that is most difficult to manage — is brand reputation.

With 600 million people around the world affected by contaminated food each year, it’s crucial for food manufacturers to have a Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) plan in place to help prevent contamination.

It's also essential for production facilities to ensure they're working with vendors and suppliers that are HACCP-compliant. Knowing that products, equipment and even uniforms are handled and monitored properly guarantees that contamination risks aren’t being passed along to the food supply.

Let’s look at five prerequisites manufacturers should have in place to create an environment that supports HACCP at their facility and how working with compliant vendors can further ensure the safety of your food product. 

No food manufacturer wants to deal with contaminated product, but when foreign material contamination happens, they need to have a process in place. Foreign material in food is something that occurs in many different ways and at every stage of the production process.

Contaminants can make their way into food in the field, during transportation to the production facility or at numerous points in the manufacturing process; they can be caused by anything from human error to mechanical failure.

Regardless of how the foreign material gets into the food, the big concern for plant management is the same: What should the next steps be? 

Food contamination comes in many forms, from biological contaminants to physical hazards. With so many entry points for contamination, food manufacturing facilities have to make sure they have procedures in place to prevent all types of contamination; that includes contamination from food packaging.

While less common than other types of contamination, food packaging can still be a source of foreign materials that find their way into the food supply. Because it is less common, it is a threat that food manufacturers can easily overlook. But putting procedures in place to safeguard against contamination due to food packaging is an important part of a strong culture of food safety. 

When X-ray food inspection systems were introduced, they ushered in a new era in food safety. X-ray inspection systems are used to find physical contaminants during the production process that might be missed by visual inspection or metal detection, thereby saving food manufacturers headaches, lawsuits and recalls.  

Social media has become one of the most acceptable and modern ways for individuals (and companies) to communicate with each other.  Social networks allow individuals from all over the world to share their thoughts, opinions, photos and videos immediately . 

Today , according to Pew Research Center, 67% of Americans use Facebook as their primary news source. That’s a powerful illustration of how much social media influences and affects the way we think and view the world today.  But for many food companies, the question remains, how does social media impact the food industry?

Even the most well-run plants and facilities will encounter a contamination issue at some point. It is an unfortunate, yet inevitable, part of the food industry. How do foreign material incidents happen? Read on to learn more about how these issues start and how they can be prevented.