Product recalls to hit all-time high in U.S. this year

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U.S. product recalls overview: 

• Who: Sedgwick released its quarterly U.S. product recall index report. 
• Why: The report shows there have already been more than 1 billion products recalled in the United States this year, setting 2022 up to have the most recalls ever made. 
• Where: Nationwide. 

More than 1 billion products have been recalled in the United States in the first seven months of the year, setting up 2022 to finish with the most recalls ever made, according to Sedgwick’s recent quarterly U.S. product recall index report. 

There have been only two years — 2018 and 2021 — in the history of the United States where more than 1 billion products were recalled, according to Sedgwick. 

Sedgwick singled out the consumer product, automotive, medical device, food and beverage and pharmaceutical industries as among those impacted by “increased regulatory scrutiny” along with ongoing geopolitical and public health issues. 

“Regulators and lawmakers alike have increased their scrutiny of every industry, introduced new guidelines and rules and started to publicly call out companies they believe to be noncompliant,” says Chris Harvey, Sedgwick’s senior vice president of brand protection, in a press release regarding the report. 

Sedgwick’s second quarter report revealed an increase in U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) automotive recalls, medical device recalls and food and beverage recalls. 

Despite this, Sedgwick revealed that the number of impacted medical device units and consumer product units actually decreased in the second quarter. 

“While regulatory agencies may not be back to pre-pandemic work levels, companies can’t relax their focus on product safety. Inspections and enforcement actions are still occurring,” says Amanda Combs, a recall advisor in Sedgwick’s brand protection division, in the press release. 

Regulators expected to continue making child safety a top priority

Sedgwick said that, going forward, children’s safety will continue to be a top priority for regulators overseeing product recalls while the FDA is expected to “begin strictly enforcing the Foreign Supplier Verification Programs (FSVP), increasing the risks for food importers.” 

The FDA is also expected to focus on protecting medical device technology from cyberattacks and enforcing regulations on the pharmaceutical industry, according to Sedgwick. 

In related news, in June, Sedgwick revealed in its U.S. product recall index report for the first quarter of 2022 that recalls for consumer product, automotive, food and beverage, pharmaceutical and medical device industries had reached a 10-year high. 

Have you been affected by product recalls this year? Let us know in the comments! 

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