Mobilize your crisis team. Activate your internal team—quality, legal, regulatory, operations, logistics, and communications—and clarify roles and expectations. Clear structure and collaboration keep the team focused when pressure is high. Also, bring in trusted external experts to add objectivity, help validate decisions, and strengthen your overall response.

Establish decision-making protocols. Establish processes to guide critical decision-making, both initially and throughout the unfolding recall. If a safety issue is detected, who determines whether to issue a recall? What triggers the decision? What qualifies as “enough” evidence? How will you adjust as new information unfolds? Build a framework that includes clear criteria for when to initiate, when to expand, and when to close an event. These protocols help keep everyone aligned and taking the right steps in the proper sequence. They also help prevent reactive decisions that can slow response or increase risk. 

Define the problem. Before you announce the recall, get your ducks in a row. Use data to determine exactly which product batches were affected and where the products are located. Defining the problem helps reduce confusion, prevent over- or under-scoping, and accelerate retrieval. When you compile accurate information, you’ll be able to communicate effectively and drive proper actions.  

Communicate clearly. Once you issue a recall, communicate clearly, honestly, and transparently. Tailor messages to specific audiences—e.g., public, business, regulatory. Use multiple distribution channels to maximize awareness. Be clear about the risk and emphasize the urgency of the situation. Explain what products are affected and exactly what people should do. Use easy-to-read formatting, like bullet points, and include photos of the affected packaging. Be empathetic and offer support.

Collaborate with trading partners. Pivot from an individual company approach to a supply-chain approach, working collaboratively with your trading partners. When brands act in isolation, it often causes delays, inaccuracies, and confusion. Working collaboratively with trading partners, on the other hand, helps accelerate efforts and event resolution.

Utilize integrated tech systems. Recalls are exponentially more difficult to manage using manual or disjointed systems. Ideally, your company is using tech systems that are integrated with your supply chain to improve collaboration, visibility, traceability, and efficiency. During a recall, every moment counts, so cohesive tech solutions allow your company to expedite recall management. Use platforms that connect your product data, supply chain partners, and communication channels in one place. Digital collaboration tools help teams stay aligned, collaborate in real-time, and make faster, more informed decisions. Traceability and recall-focused tools maintain accurate, real-time records of product movements and storage locations, making your recall run more quickly and smoothly. 

Track progress and adjust accordingly. A recall moves quickly and changes often, so constantly track progress. As new information emerges, it can change the recall’s scope, so update messages accordingly to ensure correct actions. Distribute information—including real-time recall status and instructions—widely through numerous delivery channels.

Keep detailed records. Maintain detailed documentation from the moment you discover a safety breach. Keep records of who/when/how you notified, when decisions were made, which products were retrieved/destroyed, and how long each step took. Regulators will require this, and it’s also your best tool for debriefing and improving later.

Review lessons learned. After a recall, work with internal staff and trading partners to review all processes and documentation. Determine areas that could be improved. Implement corrective actions and update procedures accordingly.

Recognize that a recall isn’t a brand failure. Recalls demonstrate that your company’s safety checkpoints worked well and properly flagged a safety issue. Consumers won’t necessarily blame your company for issuing a recall, but they will watch to see how you manage it. Clear, transparent communication matters. So does empathy. If you’re defensive, evasive, or issuing murky information, it will make consumers and other key stakeholders wary. Likewise, if you come across as uncaring, that could be far more damaging to your reputation than the recall itself.

Dairy recalls continue to occur, so be prepared to properly manage a situation if and when it happens to your business. Be ready to follow industry best practices to reduce risks, accelerate resolution, communicate clearly, and protect public health.