INDIANAPOLIS, May 7, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Product recalls
declined significantly across all industries for the first time
since at least 2012, according to the first quarter 2019 Recall
Index released today by Stericycle Expert
Solutions (NASDAQ: SRCL). The declines were largely due to
reduced oversight from the government shutdown earlier this year
which stopped or limited many government safety inspections for
food, pharmaceutical, automotive, medical device, and consumer
products, the industries tracked in the Stericycle Recall Index.
When the shutdown ended at the end of January, it took several more
weeks for the regulatory agencies to ramp safety inspections back
up to normal levels.
"While it's usually good news for consumers when recall rates
decline, the Q1 2019 numbers are misleading," said Chris Harvey, Director of Recall Solutions at
Stericycle Expert Solutions. "Fewer inspections mean more
potentially dangerous products entered the market unnoticed during
this period, which could also have an impact in the months ahead.
Having a recall plan in place could never be more important as we
track the repercussions."
Consumer Product Recalls Hit 12-Year Low
The consumer
products industry saw significant decreases across the board
including the number of recalls, the volume of recalled units, and
the number of reported incidents. There were 39 product recalls in
Q1 – a 43.5 percent decrease – while recalled units decreased 67.3
percent to 1.8 million. Both of these totals are the lowest quarter
since at least 1997.
Electronics were the top consumer product category for recalled
units, while the main hazard was fire. Fire has been the top hazard
for both the number of recalls and recalled units for four of the
last five quarters.
Airbag Headaches Continue
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recalls
decreased 6.8 percent to 205, which is higher than four of the last
seven quarters. However, the number of units increased 387.4
percent to just over 24 million – the highest quarter since Q2
2016.
Faulty airbags continue to impact recall rates, with airbags and
service brakes tied as the top cause for recalls at 12.2 percent
each. Airbags were the top recall category for recalled units at
73.6 percent. The last time any automotive category comprised that
high of a percentage was Q1 2017, when nearly three-quarters of all
recalled units were airbags.
Automobiles accounted for 91.7 percent of recalls and 52.1
percent of recalled units. Nearly 80 percent of automobiles
recalled (based on VINs) were from just five auto makers.
Manufacturing Woes Impact Drug Recalls
Pharmaceutical recalls decreased 7.8 percent to 94, and recalled
units decreased 75.3 percent to just under 13 million – lower than
six of the last nine quarters.
Failed specifications and deviations from current Good
Manufacturing Practices (cGMPs) drove drug recall activity in Q1.
For the 11th consecutive quarter, failed specifications
were the top cause of pharmaceutical recalls, while cGMP deviation
was the top cause for recalled units.
Some pharmaceutical companies experienced multiple recalls in Q1
2019. Four drug makers reported at least five recalls each in the
quarter – the highest number since Q3 2013.
Medical Device Maladies
Medical device recalls
decreased 41.4 percent to 164, which is the lowest since Q4 2017.
Recalled units decreased 16.2 percent to just under 135 million
devices. More significantly, there were more than one million Class
I units recalled for the third consecutive quarter. Class I devices
pose the greatest risk to the public.
Quality issues were the top cause of recalled units at 51.2
percent. This is the first time quality issues were the top cause
since Q3 2016. The average medical device recall impacted 823,126
units, making it the highest quarter since 2006.
Look Before You Cook
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recalls fell 36.5 percent to 99
– the lowest quarter since Q1 2016. Recalled FDA food units
increased 67.2 percent to 79 million, which is higher than four of
the previous five quarters. For meat and seafood products, United
States Department of Agriculture (USDA) recalls decreased 7.1
percent to 39, while total pounds of food decreased 91.6 percent to
just over 1.4 million.
The report found that plastics continue to infiltrate the food
supply. Foreign materials in food were the top cause of USDA
recalled pounds at 37.9 percent, with plastic, the most common
foreign material, being found in 40 percent of the foreign material
recalled pounds.
Under the FDA's watch, undeclared allergens were the top cause
of both FDA recalls (38.4 percent) and recalled food units (98.1
percent). More than 17 percent of FDA recalls were products
distributed nationwide – the second highest since Q4 2016.
The full Q1 2019 Recall Index is available
at https://www.stericycleexpertsolutions.com/recall-index/.
About the Stericycle Recall Index
The Stericycle
Recall Index is the only report that aggregates and tracks recall
data to help manufacturers and other industry stakeholders navigate
the regulatory environment and identify trends. Each quarter
Stericycle analyzes data from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety
Commission (CPSC), the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration (NHTSA), the FDA, and the USDA. For more
information, please visit
www.stericycleexpertsolutions.com/thought-leadership.
About Stericycle Expert Solutions™
Stericycle Inc. is
a NASDAQ-listed global business-to-business services company which
provides highly specialized solutions to healthcare and commercial
businesses of all sizes. Founded in 1989, Stericycle Inc. has grown
to become a leader across a range of complex and highly regulated
market sectors and operates in 550 locations. Stericycle Expert
Solutions™ is the industry leader in managing automotive, consumer
product, pharmaceutical, medical device, juvenile product, and food
and beverage recalls. Expert Solutions streamlines the entire
product recall process and manages Notification & Response,
Processing & Tracking, and Compliance & Reporting for
leading global companies. For more information, visit
www.stericycleexpertsolutions.com.
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SOURCE Stericycle Expert Solutions