GS1 announces Global Product Recall Standard

GS1, a not-for-profit organization that designs and manages a global system of supply chain standards, announced today the ratification of a new global product recall standard, along with an implementation guide for multi-jurisdictional recall notifications. This new standard serves as a common-sense blueprint enabling all supply chain stakeholders to implement more effective product recall processes and notifications. The standard defines, standardizes and harmonizes the critical attributes to be captured and shared among trading parties and regulators during a product recall alerting and messaging process. The standard is part of GS1’s solution for product and consumer safety. It complements and extends the existing GS1 Traceability Standard that provides companies with a well-defined traceability process to meet regulatory requirements, building upon existing GS1 standards that are widely used in most supply chains around the world. It is incorporated into country-specific, GS1-standards based recall platforms, such as Rapid Recall Exchange in the U.S., Recallnet in Australia and the Product Recall programme in Canada. Improving product and consumer safety in the global supply chain is becoming more critical. As global food trade increases, food safety is becoming a significant public health issue. According to a 2010 report from the United States Centre for Disease Control (USCDC), there are 48 million cases of food borne illnesses each year in the US with 150,000 hospitalizations and 3,000 deaths. "Effective product recall is complex, multi-jurisdictional and typically involves multiple stakeholders in extended supply chains. Having a standardised process globally will enable us to run more timely and targeted recalls. Ultimately, consumer safety will benefit,” explained a spokesperson for Woolworths (Australian retailer). At Procter & Gamble, Market Logistics Leader Daniel Triot agrees: “The GS1 Product Recall Standard will enable manufacturers, retailers and suppliers to work more closely together. By leveraging a system of global supply chain standards that we all know and use today, product recall will become a function that is embedded into all our global supply chains. Critical mass adoption and interoperability of the notification tools will accelerate the implementation of the standard”. Close to three years of industry-driven work has led to a standard, which identifies the key principles of traceability and demonstrates how to apply them for effective product recall. An implementation guide accompanies the recall standard and is dedicated to multi-jurisdictional requirements as a product recall alert is issued and executed. “The work on product recall facilitated by GS1 is responding to real industry needs and will enable companies to build supply chains that are not only more efficient, but also safer. Product recall is a key part of GS1’s vision where information about products can be easily exchanged for the benefit of businesses and consumers,” commented Miguel Lopera, President and CEO of GS1. The Product Recall standard is applicable to companies in all industries using GS1 standards, and can be used by companies of all sizes.