Product Recall: Hazard Evaluation and Recall Strategy

Product Recall: Hazard Evaluation and Recall Strategy
Hazard Evaluation
An important step in recall procedure is to evaluate the existing hazard to determine if a recall is warranted. The company or regulatory agency should answer the following:

• Has disease or injury already occurred?

• Could exposure to humans be a health hazard?

• Asses hazard according to population of greatest risk (children, hospital, retirement communities, etc)

• Degrees of seriousness if exposed?

• Likelihood of occurrence (exposure)?

• Consequence of hazard (immediate or long term)?

• Classification of recall I, II, III

Recall Strategy
All companies should have a detailed plan to follow should the hazard evaluation warrant a recall. Some critical elements to consider in planning recall strategies are:

• The depth of recall (warehouse, wholesale, retails, consumer levels).

• Whether or not to issue a public warning, to what signet of the public the warning would be directed, and through what media (general, newspaper, TV, radio or though special groups: doctors, etc.)

• Method of recall effectiveness checks to determine how many have received the recall notice.

Product Recall: Hazard Evaluation and Recall Strategy

Damages of fruits and vegetable during storage

Damages of fruits and vegetable during storage
Certain fruits and vegetables are damaged by storage at refrigerated temperatures. These crops develop a disorder known as chilling injury. Symptoms include failure to ripen (bananas and tomatoes), development of brown sunken areas known as pitting (cucumbers, melons, and organs), increased susceptibility to decay (beans and cucumbers) and off flavor development (tomatoes). In many cases, the evidence of chilling injury does not become apparent until the susceptible item is returned to a typical room temperature.

Although the cellular mechanism for chilling injury is not clear understood, most investigators attribute it to physical changes in the membrane lipids. Prevention of chilling injury is best achieved by not storing the item at refrigerated temperatures. For example, for best quality a banana or tomato should not be stored below 12.5 degrees C, either during distribution or within the home. Such a practice, however, accelerates normal deterioration of the product. Some evidence shows of that intermittent warming or cycling the storage temperature above and below critical chilling temperature for a product will extent its shelf life.
Damages of fruits and vegetable during storage