How much bad news can one brand's reputation take, even if that brand turns out to be one that millions of people have relied on for years?
Johnson & Johnson has been forced over the past year to recall 53 million bottles of Tylenol and other over-the-counter medicines it manufactures due to musty or moldy odors. Now, the company announced it was recalling another 128,000 bottles of Tylenol for the same reason.
A Reuters report said the recalled product, identified by a J&J spokesperson as eight-hour caplets in the 50-count size, were manufactured in March at the company's McNeil Consumer Healthcare plant in Fort Washington, PA. The company shut down the plant in April after inspectors with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration found problems with its quality control procedures.
J&J said the voluntary recall was "taken as a precaution and the risk of adverse medical events is remote." The company said the musty odor was "thought to be caused by the presence of trace amounts of a chemical called 2,4,6-tribromoanisole" found in wood pallets used to transport and store packing materials.
Discussion Question: Do you think the Tylenol brand been permanently damaged as a result of a series of recalls over the past year? Has the company acted aggressively enough to remove all potential problem products from the supply chain?