Australian retailers ahead of product recalls

To be able to recall or withdraw a product from the shelves quickly and cost-effectively is an essential business task every retailer should be prepared for. Stalled or failed recalls have implications not only for consumer safety but for a retailer’s reputation – potentially costing millions of dollars in sales, customers and legal fees.

Australia’s leading independent retailers and supermarket chains are tackling this challenge head on by signing up to GS1 Recallnet – an online portal designed to streamline the process of issuing product recall and withdrawal notifications.

Since its launch in August 2011, hundreds of suppliers and retailers in the food and liquor sectors, including Woolworths, Metcash, Coles and Costco, have already joined GS1 Recallnet to improve their recall effectiveness.

With GS1 Recallnet, suppliers can quickly and simply issue a recall or withdrawal notification to their trading partners. The system validates the data as it is being entered to ensure it is accurate and complete. Once the retailer has received the notification, they can log into the system to view full details of the recall, including any additional information they may have specifically requested suppliers to provide.

GS1 Recallnet also enables retailers to send immediate feedback to suppliers, perhaps updating them on the progress of the recall or requesting further details. This channels communication through one single portal and increases visibility throughout the recall management process.

Woolworths immediately recognised the advantages GS1 Recallnet brings to the product recall process and has fully integrated its internal recall management system with GS1 Recallnet for its supermarket and liquor businesses. The company now actively encourages its suppliers to consider GS1 Recallnet for all recalls and withdrawals going forward.

Today there over 100 food suppliers ready to communicate their product recalls and withdrawals to their customers via GS1 Recallnet. Retailers, large and small, have the ability to capitalise on this progress by subscribing to the service and encouraging their suppliers to standardise recall and withdrawal communications.

To learn more, register for GS1 Recallnet or an introductory webinar visit: www.gs1au.org/services/recallnet/ contact GS1 Australia on 1300 366 033 or email gs1recallnet@gs1au.org.

About GS1 and GS1 Australia

GS1 is a leading global not-for-profit organisation dedicated to global standards and solutions that improve the efficiency and visibility of supply and demand chains. The GS1 System is the most widely used supply chain standards system in the world. GS1 Australia is the Australian member of the global GS1 organisation, enabling more than 16,000 members – businesses of all sizes from 22 sectors across Australia – to enhance their efficiency and cost effectiveness by adopting electronic supply chain best practices.