Can the results of a mock recall be unsatisfactory?

When conducting a mock recall, can your results of the recall be unsatisfactory? As an example, product sent to 1 DC was sent the information to provide a count on a specific lot code for the mock recall. However when they responded it was not with the information you requested. Can this still be used as a mock recall or should another mock recall be preformed?

Personally I would use the Mock Recall as is, do a root cause then instigate CA/PA to correct the deficiencies then redo the mock recall hopefuly sucessfully.

Auditors love to see a nice corrective action trail

Awesome! Those were my initial thoughts but I wasn't sure how it would look to have a unsuccessful recall due to how important of a roll that could play in the event of a real recall.

Curious to know what is the acceptable amount of time to receive results on a Mock Recall as well? 

Dear RRF / Lanser,

I'm guessing DC = Distribution Center

CA = Corrective Action

But

PA = Personal Assistant ?

Personally, i would suggest yr action prior to repeating the mock recall depends on what extent you wish to be regarded as an (internal)  troublemaker for future exercises?

The typical intra-country  times i hv seen quoted have been 2-4hrs

Rgds / Charles.C

Dear Charles.C:

PA = Preventive action(s). Some companies like to use the word CAPA.

Yong

RRF

yes, absolutely

to assess the efficiency of the mock recall I would suggest you to use 2 indicators that might give you a good rating :

1) % of matching between quantities received per batch in the DC and quantities delivered to your customers/still stored/destroyed etc...

2) Time needed to recover the datas

for the objectives...let's say it depends on the last datas you have.

For 1) 100% of reconciliation in case the system is already quite efficient.

For 2) as Charles C. stated 2/ 4 hours is a right objective, that you can also 'translate' as time max needed to recover a nb of pallets : for example 30 mn per 100 pallets.

hope that helps!

The thread may be old but seeing as it came back up I'll put my two cents in maybe someone will see it when they need it.

Yes.  It can be a failure but still be a learning opportunity.  Why couldn't you find the product?  Figure that out and work out the issues.  Make sure you use your Corrective Action / preventative Action system to document the problem and solution.  Use tools as appropriate to figure it all out like fishbone diagrams etc.  Whatever works for your management.

Run another one after you've instituted your changes.  Keep fixing / running them until you can recover 100% in the proper amount of time.  Keep all your records and trend them so if an auditor questions you then you can explain what happened, what you had to change, and the last 100% exercise.

Good luck.

Dear all:

During mock recall, do you all able to trace until the name of each individual consumer/user who bought/consumed the particular 'problematic' product or until which supermarket, hypermarket only?

Regards,

Yong

Dear Yong,

No "onward" traceing.  And never been audit requested.  

IMEX, it is usually first (relevant) customer destination only, unless some specific requirement involved.

Rgds / Charles.C

I agree with Charles.  The easy way to look at the traceability of your product is that you need to be able to discern:

What ingredients went into every product you make

Where you got the ingredients from

Who you sent the finished product to

This way if your ingredient source has a recall you know it was something you received and if you have to recall a product you know who to contact to spread the word down the food chain.

One back, one forward

Agree for sure with the last comments...

Yong, the only way we would have to trace until the consumer (but anyway this is and won't be under your responsibility) would be to use EAN 128. on top of usual info you find on EAN 13 or ITF 14, you can find the batch number information, that is the real added value of this code

http://www.gs1us.org...andards/gs1-128

For sure there is a need to have this code on the consumer unit (to my knowledge we only find it on some storage units), then that needs to be scanned by a proper scanner in the shops, with a fidelity card that allows to trace the consumer ...a bit difficult but not impossible! even if we will never reach 100%

Let just come back 10 years ago :

The products we bought were scanned, but no fidelity card existed. today everyone (in France, I guess in Europ, perhaps US?) has a fidelity card where you can add some points, and when you reach a certain level you can save money. these cards also keep in mind what you bought. In 2005 for a crisis/ Listeria in beef steaks in Leclerc (whose shops have the biggest turnover in France) most of the products sold have been recovered thanks to the card. that would have never been reached without the tool

http://www.strategie...ur-le-gril.html

sorry, just in french but you can use google translate to have an idea.

just imagine if Tesco, Walmart or Carrefour decides to implement it tomorrow, it can be fully efficient in 10 years with a full and reliable traceability up to the consumers!

I don't like using those cards much because I'm pretty sure the USA Federal Government tracks our purchases with them... along with everything else they are apparently looking over our shoulders on (internet traffic, cell phone calls, text messages, etc)