Crisis management was in order at a recent meeting with the Society of Food Hygiene Technology.
Kevin Swoffer, a director of Close Call, said producers should prepare for product recalls by planning for an incident and including regular scenario training for staff.
Swoffer reported 89 products being recalled in 2001, but believes with pre-emptive preparation, a product recall should remain an incident and not a crisis.
The fallibility of paper-based systems versus computer systems was demonstrated by the BRC Standard.
This ensures only the current version of documents are available to users, so confusing old instructions will no longer be an issue.
Rachel Wilson, technical communications manager with Sainsbury's, said retailers expect suppliers to have effective quality management systems as well as active knowledge of issues which may become incidents.
Wilson emphasised the point that retailers understand all factories have incidents, but said the key was to ensure lessons were learnt and corrective actions carried out.
The Society's next briefing session will be on June 27, and will cover hygiene management and food safety.