Exploring factors influencing repeated recalls in the US meat and poultry industry

Repeated recalls are an important issue impacting public health and the food industry. Survival functions are used to investigate the timing of repeated recalls and double hurdle regression models explore factors influencing the probability of repeated recalls and the number of repeated recalls in the US meat and poultry industry between 2003 and 2019. Findings suggest that 25% of recalls are repeated and the average period between recalls is 1340 days (3.67 years). Kaplan–Meier survival analysis results suggest that the number of repeats and similar reasons for recalls significantly impact survival functions but no statistically significant differences were seen across plant sizes. Regression results suggest that product type (processed vs. fresh products) had no significant impact on the probability of a repeated recall but a significant positive impact on the number of repeats. Extraneous material contamination positively influenced the probability of a repeated recall but negatively influenced the number of repeats. The scope of marketing (depth and breadth) had a significant positive impact on the probability of a repeated recall but had no significant impact on the number of repeats. Large plants are more likely to experience a repeated recall and a greater number of repeats. Considering market failures in the provision of safe food, government detection is an important way to discover food safety problems. The results show that government detection of problems is effective in reducing the probability of a repeated recall and the number of repeats. Based on these findings, we draw policy and management implications for the government and plants to avoid repeated recalls. [EconLit Citations: M11, Q13].