Recall FAQs

Product recalls and withdrawals have the potential for dramatic implications on Australian businesses of any size. As a result, GS1 Australia is committed to providing Recall users a secure and standardised method of authentication for all users.

Every Primary Contact is authenticated and each subsequent user assigned by the Primary Contact is required to accept the Recall Terms and Conditions for Australian users.

Yes. You can include Non-Subscribed Recipients in the notification. These customers will receive an email with basic details of the notification and a link to the Recall Letter.

You can register online.

Note: You'll need to assign a Primary Contact for your company's use of Recall, to ensure that only authorised notifications are issued. It's their responsibility to assign users based on their role when a recall is issued (such as Initiator, Receiver or Approver). Unless these roles are assigned, you can't use Recall to issue a recall or withdrawal notification.

Any request to change your Primary Contact must be approved by the Recall Administrator. This helps maintain the security of Recall.

To make the change, the current Primary Contact must create a new user or nominate an existing user as the new Primary Contact. Steps include:

• The current Primary Contact must email the GS1 Australia Administrator
• GS1 Australia will review the information and verify the newly nominated Primary Contact
• The GS1 Australia Administrator will remove the Primary Contact role from the current user and assign it to the newly nominated Primary Contact

From the Recall login screen, select Forgot Password and follow the on-screen prompts. We'll send you a temporary password, which you can use to login and then change your password.

Note: Passwords must be at least eight characters in length and contain at least one letter, one digit and one symbol.

Only the Primary Contact within your organisation is able to change contact information, which is done via the Manage My Account screen. To edit contact information, select Edit User.

To log out, click on the Log Out link located on the top right of the application.

Note: Recall uses cookies and JavaScript. To optimise your user experience, ensure these settings are enabled in your browser and disable pop-up windows.

Product recall notifications can be updated (or extended) by issuing an updated recall notification. All changes will be highlighted in red to notify the recipients of the modifications.

Your feedback is important to us and you can provide it in one of two ways

• Login to Recall and select Contact Us in the footer menu. You can provide feedback on the form.
• Send us an email

Your session will last as long as it takes to fill out the various forms. However, Recall will automatically terminate a session after 60 minutes of inactivity.

You can reset your password using the Forgot Password link on the Recall login page. Or, speak to the Primary Contact, who can help you reset your password.

Note: Your account will be disabled after three unsuccessful login attempts.

Once you submit your registration, it should be processed by the following business day. Then, you'll need to complete some set-up activities (create users and templates).

When these activities are completed, you can issue a recall or withdraw notice.

Note: It's also important to ensure that you update your recall management plans to incorporate the use of Recall.

Yes. Recall uses the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) security protocol, which runs in the background and is invoked when required.

No organisation plans on recalling a product. However, despite best due diligence, product recalls sometimes occur.

With Recall, in the event of a recall, you can instantly reassure end users that you have the processes in place to ensure their safety. It's a powerful tool to maintain your brand's reputation.

A Global Trade Item Number (GTIN) is a unique number assigned to every item, product or service that may be priced, ordered or invoiced at any point in any supply chain. GTINs are used to retrieve pre-defined information about the item it represents.

A Global Location Number (GLN) is the GS1 ID key for locations. GLNs can be used to identify physical locations and legal entities, and help improve the efficiency of communication within the supply chain.

You're asked to select a Company Type during the registration process. These include:

Initiator: A Recall Initiator is typically a manufacturer or supplier. The Initiator is responsible for providing accurate, clear and timely information regarding a recalled product to a Recall Receiver.

Receiver: A Recall Receiver is typically a retailer, wholesaler or distributor. The Receiver is responsible for taking action on the product recall information sent by the Recall Initiator in a timely manner.

Both: A company that is defined as Both is typically a manufacturer or distributor that may need to perform either the Recall Initiator or Receiver roles, depending on their relationship with the recalled product.

Recall has been built for ease of use - to reduce errors, reduce costs and get important information out faster.

Features include:

• A single standardised process for communicating recall and withdrawal information
• Clear tracking and reporting, so you know whether recall and withdrawal information was received by supply chain partners
• Ability to identify original distribution area and products still in distribution
• Secure online web access anywhere, anytime
• Cross-border interoperability
• Improved business processes for responding to recalls and withdrawals
• Ability to embed product images, additional product information and instructions into notifications
• A regularly updated database of retail and wholesale company coordinators
• Ability to provide updates and alerts to notify recipients of new information
• Detailed audit trail of events, which we use to continuously enhance the process

You can use these browsers:

• Internet Explorer 7 and above
• Mozilla Firefox 2 and above
• Safari 5 and above
• Google Chrome 14 and above
• Opera 9 and above

The Primary Contact is the user that registers for Recall on your company's behalf. They are responsible for choosing Company Type, confirming company information and assigning user access and roles.

Depending on Company Type, Primary Contacts also have a user role automatically assigned to them at registration:

Given their central role, the Primary Contact undergoes a comprehensive verification and authentication process during registration.

It is very important that only authorised Primary Contacts have access to Recall - not only for your organisation, but to also maintain security and trust of all Recall users.

GS1 Australia undertakes a comprehensive verification process of the nominated Primary Contact before granting access to Recall. Confirmation from a Person of Authority (POA), an appropriate signing officer, such as Human Resources or an executive level contact, is required. Once confirmation is received by the signing officer, GS1 Australia will grant the organisation access to Recall.

Recall is an electronic product recall management system that was developed in consultation with industry. It enables suppliers to quickly and securely send recall or withdrawal notifications in accordance with industry requirements.

The Food Industry Recall Protocol provides information on recalling food in Australia and guidance for food businesses on developing a written food recall plan. Learn more and download the full Food Industry Recall Protocol by visiting the FSANZ website.

Subscribers are not eligible for a refund once they have subscribed to Recall.

Recall is designed to meet the needs of the entire supply chain. Any retailer, manufacturer or distributor that may need to issue a product recall or withdrawal notification to its trading partners can use it.

It is not limited to manufacturer-to-retailer product recalls. Other examples of its application include:

• Producers issuing recall notifications to distributors
• Distributors issuing recall notifications to manufacturers
• Manufacturers issuing recall notifications to retailers

Use Recall to:

• Prevent recalled or withdrawn products from reaching the end user
• Connect with your trading partners and retailers securely, accurately and quickly
• Boost consumer confidence 
• Protect your brand