This Product Recall Policy sets the roles, responsibilities and actions required when a
product manufactured by the company or with the company brand or a company-owned
or licensed brand is required to be recalled from distribution. A product recall is a
voluntary or third party mandated return of a product from distribution centers, retail
locations, or consumers. This document describes the procedure that each department
within the company must follow when a product is recalled. It may be customized to
reflect a company's specific policy regarding product recalls. This should be used by
companies that manufacture products as a precautionary measure.
[NAME OF COMPANY], hereunder referred to as “Company”
PRODUCT RECALL POLICY
POLICY # xxxx-xxx
PURPOSE: This product recall policy sets the roles, responsibilities and action items required when a
product (or specific production lot) manufactured by the Company or with the Company brand or an
Company-owned or licensed brand is required to be recalled from distribution. For the purpose of this
policy, the term “Company” is defined as all Company-related businesses, business units, as well as
Company-related brand and all Company-owned or licensed brands.
DEFINITION: A product recall is defined, for the purposes of this policy, as a voluntary or third party
mandated return of product from distribution centers, retail locations, and/or consumers, depending
upon the scope of the recall mandate.
ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES:
Following an internal or third party notification of a product recall, the notifying party will confirm the
scope of the recall mandate with the CEO of Company or the CEO’s designate.
Notifying Party – whether an internal party, a contract manufacturer, regulatory agency, or other party,
the notifying party is responsible for presenting the scope of the product recall. This scope will include
product(s) affected, production lot(s) affected, actionable timelines, documentation requirements, and
other action items.
Company CEO or CEO’s designate – will determine course of action related to Sales, Marketing, Public
Relations, Manufacturing and Distribution, and Product Re-Development. The Company CEO or the
CEO’s designate will also work with the manufacturer to root cause the recall issue and prepare
corrective and preventative actions to preclude future instances.
Manufacturing and Distribution – will work with distribution center(s) to determine the location of all
Company-owned inventory of the affected product. A freeze will be placed on the inventory until a
specific course of action (i.e. return to manufacturer, re-test, destroy, etc.) is outlined. A plan will also
need to be developed with the manufacturer to return usable inventory to stock.
Sales and Marketing – depending upon the scope of the product recall, it may be necessary for Sales and
Marketing to reach out to retailers with details of the product recall. Transparency is important to
maintain with customers and customers should be advised of what happened, why it happened, the
reason the product is being recalled, when they can expect replacement products, and what actions, if
any, they are required to take. If there is an alternate product the customer can accept as a
replacement, those options should also be explored.
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Public Relations – will draft all externally facing communications (with the CEO’s or CEO’s designate’s
approval) to be disseminated according to the scope of the product recall. Again, transparency is key.
Communications should include what happened, why it happened, the reason the product is being
recalled, appropriate Company contact information, corrective and preventative actions being taken,
and when replacement product will be expected.
PRODUCT RECALL STEPS:
1. NOTIFICATION: Within 24 hours of notification of by Company by a notifying party,
Company’s key leadership (as determined by the Company CEO or CEO’s designate) must
meet to set up the recall plan within the actionable timeline. The scope of the recall
mandate will dictate the parties who must be notified of the product recall. Dissemination
of product recall information will be affected in a manner which aligns with the actionable
timelines of the recall mandate (i.e. fax, email, press release, letters, phone calls, website
posting, social media, or other means).
2. ACTIONS: The actions required by the relevant Company departments are detailed above.
The above information is not meant to be inclusive and should be a guide to all appropriate
actions necessitated by the recall mandate.
3. DOCUMENTATION: Each step in the product recall should be documented and filed in a
secure location. Appropriate types of documentation include, but are not limited to,
meeting minutes, emails, call logs, product tracking records, corrective action/preventative
action records, any required documentation/correspondence required by the notifying
party, etc.
QUESTIONS RELATED TO THIS POLICY:
Should be directed to Company’s head of operations.
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guidance and should be modified by you or your attorney to meet your specific needs and the laws of your state or jurisdicti