Business Continuity Plans (BCP), Risk Organism Response Plans (RORP) and Product Recalls or Product Withdrawals are related to how effective and responsive your Traceability systems are functioning. These activities are integral to any food-based business anywhere in the world. 

But, can you place your hands on the last exercise you did with any of these 4 areas? 

And, what is the quality of the documentation resulting from the exercise? 

These are key questions. And these 4 areas are all different – a fact that is sometimes misunderstood. Let us help you to identify the differences below:

• BUSINESS CONTINUITY PLAN (BCP): A document that details the plan a business will use in any critical event to keep the business functioning. This could be but is not limited to a computer system failure, logistics or manufacturing outages, personnel shortages from a pandemic, or loss of bricks and mortar assets due to fire, flood, or another major event. *

• MOCK RECALL (Simulation Exercise): An end-to-end practical exercise of all stock and raw materials implicated in a scenario that depicts a real-life recall event.

• RISK ORGANISM RESPONSE PLAN (RORP): A recorded, verified plan and procedures that have been practiced by a designated team and is ready to implement, in the event of a major biosecurity disease outbreak such as Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD). A RORP is required by all organisations that collect, process, or distribute raw milk. Your RORP must address the risks associated at each site and be evaluated by a Recognised Agency.*

• TRACEABILITY EXERCISE: An exercise to trace a raw material, finished goods, packaging material, or any implicated item throughout its entire journey through the supply chain. Having robust Traceability systems ensures your business can quickly identify and locate product. When things go wrong, as they sometimes can, this ensures your brand’s reputation remains trusted and intact by providing fast, accurate information.

* Exercises and simulations to test the BCP or RORP should be undertaken regularly. Regulatory bodies such as FSANZ require plans to be verified annually.

A Product Recall or Response team is like a sports team. There needs to be practice. The team requires reserves (backup) members, ready to take over if any of the starting team is unavailable.  The best teams will perform their best if they know the task as second nature.

Any good plan needs a good base and when we are talking about these four subjects your underlying procedures are key.  These are all different topics and need to be treated so in their own right; we cannot stipulate this enough.  While they can be linked, please do not get them confused.

Once you have sound processes you need to practice, practice, practice. Common mistakes that can happen are:

• Too few people holding all of the knowledge
• Practice/Simulation scenarios being unrealistic, too benign, or not done frequently enough
• Exercises not undertaken seriously and/or not documented correctly
• Drills performed with too much warning so that people can schedule them in
• Hard copies of key documents and procedures not available if internet, computer, phone, or electrical tools are compromised.