Reporting Guidelines
General Press Release No. 246 (iii) (July 2001)

Recall of Goods

With fair regularity goods, from cars to toys and medicines, are recalled by manufacturers and retailers. Normally publicity is provided through advertising and editorial matter, often in all the media.

Care is needed in treating such recalls in news stories, particularly when the subjects of recall are medicines or therapeutical goods.

The Press Council has suggested these guidelines:

1. Include the full identity of the product (name, strength, batch number, serial number etc).
2. Give reasons for the recall.
3. Give a careful explanation of any hazard to the user so as not to raise undue alarm.
4. Use a pointer to any advertisement concerning the recall (including page number where possible).
5. Publish an information hotline phone number if available.

This GPR supersedes an earlier GPR on recall of theraputic goods:
GPR 169.

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