The decision by Texas-based Blue Bell Creameries to recall all of its products after two samples of its ice cream tested positive for listeria is a timely reminder of the importance of product recall insurance.
Product recalls can be costly and logistically complex. In Blue Bell Creameries’ case the expanded voluntary recall announced Monday night includes ice cream, frozen yogurt, sherbet and frozen snacks distributed in 23 states and international locations.
Blue Bell said it was pulling its products “because they have the potential to be contaminated with listeria.”
The company had issued an earlier more limited recall last month after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) linked ice cream contaminated with listeria to three deaths in Kansas.
As of April 21, 2015, the CDC says a total of 10 people with listeriosis related to this outbreak have been confirmed from four states.
A 2014 report by Aon notes that the number of product recalls in the United States and Canada for both food products and nonfood products continues to grow year over year.
Each year, hundreds of products are recalled in the U.S. Some historically significant recall events have included such well-known brands as Tylenol, Perrier, Firestone Tires, Pepsi and Coca-Cola.
The Insurance Information Institute (I.I.I.) reminds us that product recalls can be financially devastating and potentially put a company out of business. No organization is immune to the risk of a product recall—even those with the best safety records, operational controls and manufacturing oversight.
In a post in the Wall Street Journal’s Morning Risk Report, crisis management experts note that how well a company succeeds at regaining customer trust following a product recall will likely determine whether it recovers from the negative hit to its reputation and bottom line.
True. Insurance can also help defray the financial hit on a company.
Product recall insurance helps cover a wide range of costs including advertising and promotional expenses to launch a recall, as well as the costs related to product destruction and disposal, business interruption and repairing a damaged reputation, the I.I.I. says.
Another coverage worth considering is product contamination insurance, which protects a company’s bottom line in the event its product is accidentally or maliciously contaminated.
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