“We have been in this business for 65 years and have never had a recall, and cannot understand why now…” were the words of a food company executive, as he looked at me with an expression of deep concern on his face. Unfortunately, this company went out of business due to the microbiological contamination of a product caused by a human illness that triggered the recall of two years’ worth of its production.
The executive went on to say, “We have always done it that way, and it hasn’t been a problem.” The firm had been living on luck and didn’t keep up with food-safety changes. The result had a devastating financial impact on the company and the future of its long-time employees.