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Consumer goods notifications on the rise in Europe

The Stericycle European Recall and Notification Index Q1 2014, released today, reveals that consumer goods make up a growing proportion of the overall number of notifications in Europe.

Consumer product notifications increased 35 per cent year-over-year from the first quarter of 2013. This category was responsible for 38 per cent of all notifications issued in Europe in the first quarter of 2014. On average, there were eight consumer product notifications weekly across the region between January-March of this year. This highlights a repercussion of the roll out of initiatives such as the EU Product Safety and Market Surveillance Packaging legislation, showing the desire for a more unified approach to surveillance and enforcement.

Whilst food products remain those most likely to be recalled given the higher potential for harm, the overall percentage of total notifications is falling. In Q1 2014, food related notifications made up just over half of all product notifications (59%), down from 67 per cent at the start of 2013. Incoming EU legislation on food labelling standards in December will likely impact the number of food notifications due to stricter requirements.

Manufacturers realise there is a need to take control and proactively deal with issues, rather than allowing them to escalate. This has caused an ongoing upward trend in the number of voluntary notifications. This rise is consistent across both the automotive and consumer goods sectors over the last three years – especially in Q1 2014, with a 27 per cent rise.

Recall expert Farzad Henareh, European managing director at Stericycle ExpertSOLUTIONS commented: “The continuing upward trajectory for voluntary recalls reflects the ongoing recognition of the seriousness and sensitivities related to product safety notifications. When product recalls are handled swiftly and sensitively, with customers being proactively informed and the company affected being transparent and communicative, customer satisfaction and brand loyalty can actually be enhanced.”

About the Stericycle European Recall and Notification Index Q1 2014

The Stericycle Index gathers and tracks cumulative data from the two primary European agencies that track recalls and notifications in the region. This data is segmented into multiple definitions of notifications and alerts, but collated into a central figure for the purpose of analysis.

About Stericycle ExpertSOLUTIONS

Stericycle ExpertSOLUTIONS is a global leader in product recalls, retrievals, returns and audits. Stericycle ExpertSOLUTIONS offers bespoke solutions for a wide range of industries that are designed to aid companies in protecting and enhancing their brands.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Farzad Henareh .