Food Recalls

Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) nationally coordinates the recall of foods that are a health and safety risk to consumers. In South Australia, the Food Policy & Programs Branch officers coordinate food recalls within the State. The majority of food recalls are voluntarily initiated by businesses when food production monitoring has identified a fault or in response to public complaints. The Department may also initiate food recalls following the investigation of reported food poisoning incidents or complaints about the safety of food. Should a concern be serious enough to warrant the recall of a food, the Department will work with the manufacturer to ensure the recall is effectively conducted and will coordinate the recall with other state and local authorities to prevent the food being distributed and sold.

Current Recalls

Details of recent national food recalls can be found on the FSANZ Food Recall page. Where a media release or other information is issued about a food recall in South Australia this information will be available on our Health Alerts & Media page. Information on recent recalls is also available from the Commonwealth Treasury Department's Product Recall site. The FSANZ recall page also provides contact information for all State and Territory recall co-ordinators.

Planning for and carrying out a Food Recall

Under Standard 3.2.2 12 (Food Safety Standards) introduced in December 2002, a manufacturer, wholesaler or importer must:

• have in place a system to ensure the recall of unsafe food;
• set out this system in a written document and make this document available to an authorised officer upon request; and
• comply with this system when recalling unsafe food.

To assist small business the Department has prepared a Food Industry Bulletin on the preparation of a Food Recall Plan.

Also available is the booklet Food Industry Recall Protocol - A guide to writing a food recall plan conducting a food recall (5th ed). This FSANZ guide provides detailed advice for, particularly, companies that have a number of specialist staff and a significant customer base. A printed copy of the FSANZ guide can be obtained by contacting FSANZ on 1300 652 166 or by e-mailing advice@foodstandards.gov.au.

If you are considering a possible recall of food produced or distributed by your business, you should contact the Department's Food Section.

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