We sometimes get requests from companies asking us to remove their products from the Recalled Products website. These requests follow products being reclassified as fit for sale on the RAPEX website, the original EU-wide recalls resource from which our data is sourced.
At first it seems to make sense to remove these products. After all, businesses could suffer adverse effects from a safe product continiung to be included on a website intended to show products identified as unsafe. However, Recalled Products is just as much a register of safe products as unsafe. We believe that keeping information about safe products in circulation is as important as for unsafe products. Why?
Up-to-date representation reduces confusion over a product’s current status. Consumers cannot be sure of a product’s status if it is eliminated from the Recalled Products site (and by logical extension from all and any sites carrying recall information). Thus we prefer to update the product entry with an appropriate message in order to provide a clear and current service. One of the first items you’ll see on such pages is a box-out clearly stating that a product is removed along with RAPEX’s stated reason for removal.
We believe that responsible businesses should welcome this approach as it shows that the product is no longer considered a risk and can be used safely. A quick internet search reveals websites that continue to list products as recalled long after their reclassification as safe. We believe that it is actually beneficial to companies that the Recalled Products website gives the correct status of the product.
To be fair, in all the dealings we’ve had with such companies to date, this policy has been accepted once pointed out. Our definitive policy can be seen on the recalled products website.
