What RQA does

RQA, Inc. is a privately held B2B professional services firm founded in 1989 and headquartered in Tinley Park, Illinois, with 51-100 employees and global operations spanning North America, Europe, Australia, Brazil, and Latin America. The company delivers quality assurance, crisis management, and product recall services to the food, beverage, personal care, and consumer products industries, with extension into automotive, supplements, cannabis, restaurant/hospitality, insurance, and legal sectors. Core service offerings include recall and withdrawal execution, crisis planning and management, FSMA consulting and training (PCQI, FSVP, Intentional Adulteration), consumer complaint retrieval, product retrieval, retail quality audits, brand integrity investigations, specialty field services, and inspection and remediation. The RQA Food Forensics sub-brand provides laboratory and forensic contamination identification services in partnership with the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA).

RQA monetizes primarily through professional services engagements priced on a per-project or retainer basis, including consulting fees, training course registrations, per-unit retrieval/audit fees, and insurance crisis consultancy retainers (e.g., Talbot Underwriting, Berkley Global Product Recall). The company operates a proprietary technology platform (RQA Services) comprising a web-based service manager portal, a mobile application used by field representatives and independent contractors, and client-specific consumer-facing recall portals (e.g., the SharkNinja recall portal). RQA reaches enterprise customers via direct sales, industry conference presence (IAFP, SOCAP, PCPC, NAFS, IACC), white papers, webinars, and a multi-region network of field representatives and independent contractors. Named enterprise customers include Wakefern Food Corp, Diageo North America, Unilever, and Beachbody. Lawrence E. Platt serves as President; the company is independently owned with no disclosed PE/VC or parent company backing.

Name

RQA

Legal name

RQA, Inc.

Website

https://rqa-inc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

RQA, Inc. is a privately held B2B professional services firm providing quality assurance, crisis management, and product recall services to food, beverage, personal care, and consumer product companies globally, with operations in North America, Europe, Australia, and Latin America.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Product Recall and Crisis Management Services

SIC

Services-Testing Laboratories (8734)

akta.pro primary industry

Supplier Approval & Food Safety Vendor Management Programs (AFALANAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Food Quality Assurance (QA) Programs & Supplier Quality Management (AFALAAAL), Supplier Quality Assurance & Vendor Approval Programs (AFALALAB)

Keywords

• Product recall services
• Crisis management consulting
• Food safety compliance
• Quality assurance auditing
• Consumer complaint retrieval

Headquarters

HQ city

Orland Park

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Professional Services (Consulting & Training): RQA provides consulting services including crisis planning, regulatory compliance support, FSMA training courses, and recall simulations. Revenue generated through project-based consulting fees and training course registrations.
2. Field Services: Services include recall execution, consumer complaint retrieval, product retrieval, retail quality audits, brand integrity investigations, and inspection/remediation. Revenue generated through per-project fees, per-unit fees for retrieval/audits, and retainer arrangements.
3. Insurance Advisory Services: RQA provides product recall crisis consultancy to insurance companies (e.g., Talbot Underwriting) and their policyholders, generating revenue through retainer and incident response fees.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

RQA provides product recall execution, crisis management, and quality assurance services to food, beverage, personal care, and consumer product companies globally. The firm deploys field representatives and independent contractors to remove affected products from the supply chain, retrieve consumer complaint samples, conduct retail quality audits, and investigate counterfeit or diverted goods. These services are supported by a proprietary web and mobile technology platform (RQA Services) and complemented by FSMA training, regulatory compliance consulting, recall simulations, and laboratory services under the RQA Food Forensics™ sub-brand.

Product overview

RQA, Inc. is a global quality assurance and crisis management consultancy providing a comprehensive suite of services to the food, beverage, consumer products, and cosmetics industries. The company operates a multi-service model centered on its core RQA Services technology platform, which powers recall management, crisis response, and field operations. Key service offerings include Recall & Withdrawal, Crisis Planning & Management, Consultancy & Training, Consumer Complaint Retrieval, Product Retrieval, Retail Quality Audits, Brand Integrity Investigation, Specialty Field Services, and Inspection & Remediation. RQA also operates RQA Food Forensics™ as a specialized laboratory sub-brand for foreign material identification and product contamination analysis. The company provides both standardized training programs (Virtual FSMA Courses & Webinars) and client-specific solutions such as the SharkNinja Recall Portal. Founded in 1989, RQA maintains global operations across North America, Europe, Australia, Brazil, and Latin America.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Recall & Withdrawal Field service that removes affected product from any point in the supply chain or validates the effectiveness of a recall or withdrawal operation. Designed for food, beverage, personal care, and consumer product manufacturers, processors, and retailers.
• Crisis Planning & Management Prepares organizations for recalls, natural disasters, extortion, foodborne illness outbreaks, or other crises affecting their brand and business, including recall simulations. Targeted at enterprise risk, quality, and brand protection teams.
• Consultancy & Training Regulatory compliance, risk assessment, mitigation strategy, and quality management system consulting, including FSMA courses (PCQI Human Food, PCQI Animal Food, FSVP, Intentional Adulteration, Food Traceability Rule). For quality, regulatory, and food safety leaders across the food and consumer products supply chain.
• Consumer Complaint Retrieval Prompt retrieval of alleged consumer complaint product samples from anywhere in the world, enabling timely investigation and resolution of consumer claims and potential escalated responses. Used by consumer products, supplements, and food/beverage companies.
• Product Retrieval Acquires samples of client or competitor products anywhere in the world for any reason. For quality, regulatory, marketing, and competitive intelligence teams in consumer product companies.
• Retail Quality Audits Evaluates product quality at the point of purchase to provide insights into supply chain performance. For brand owners and manufacturers that need in-store shelf quality validation.
• Brand Integrity Investigation Assesses client exposure to counterfeit and fraudulent products that may damage the brand and harm consumers. For brand protection and IP enforcement teams; supported by RQA's mobile investigation app with chain-of-custody capture.
• Specialty Field Services Field representatives visit stores, restaurants, warehouses, manufacturing facilities, or consumers' homes to gather required information for quality, recall, and investigation engagements.
• Inspection & Remediation Rapid mobilization of a professional field force to address product issues in distribution or at retail, including on-site remediation activities. For supply chain and quality teams requiring urgent on-site response.
• RQA Food Forensics™ Laboratory Services Wholly-owned subsidiary providing laboratory services for consumer complaint sample retrieval, expert triage, product contamination identification, and forensic testing in partnership with GMA and specialty labs Certified Laboratories and McCrone Associates.
• Virtual FSMA Courses & Webinars Online training courses including PCQI Human Food v2.0, PCQI Animal Food, FSVP, Intentional Adulteration Vulnerability Assessments, Food Traceability Rule, allergen awareness, food safety culture, recall risk reduction, supplier management, consumer care, and regulatory readiness. For food safety and quality professionals needing FSMA compliance training.
• RQA Services Technology Platform Proprietary web-based service management platform and mobile application that optimize recall and crisis management processes, including an online recall response self-serve portal for consumers to register, return products, and obtain reimbursement. Sold as a managed technology layer within RQA's service engagements for enterprise clients.

Quantifiable outcome

• Store compliance improved from 70% to over 99% after implementing Recall Effectiveness Check program.
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• GMA (Grocery Manufacturers Association)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 February 2017RQA Food Forensics was selected as GMA's partner lab for all product sample testing, effective January 1, 2017. Selected after extensive review of laboratories, RQA was determined to be best equipped to service GMA members.
• CNS/FoodSafecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCNS/FoodSafe is a leading provider of food safety and quality assurance services to the public sector in North America, founded in 1986. Partnership provides access to public sector food safety market.
• Egg StrategyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEgg Strategy helps brands assess consumer and market realities to deliver brand 'job satisfaction' at every touch point.
• NielsenIQcoreTechnology or IntegrationNielsenIQ (NIQ) is a leading consumer intelligence company with global reach spanning over 90 countries covering approximately 85% of the world's population. Partnership enables data-driven insights for consumer behavior and market intelligence.
• SOCAP InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSOCAP International is the Society of Consumer Affairs Professionals in Business, representing customer care experts across multiple industries. RQA sponsors SOCAP conferences and presents CPG complaint benchmark data.
• McCrone Associates, Inc.coreTechnology or IntegrationMcCrone Associates is a materials analysis laboratory providing expert microscopy and microanalysis services supporting RQA's forensic investigation capabilities.
• Certified LaboratoriescoreTechnology or IntegrationCertified Laboratories provides comprehensive testing services supporting RQA's product contamination identification and quality assurance services.
• Talbot Underwriting LtdflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerTalbot Underwriting retained RQA Group as global product recall consultants for their product recall insurance policy holders. RQA provides pre-incident expert crisis consultancy and 24/7 product recall incident support during events.
• AXONcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAXON and RQA announced a crisis management partnership in July 2020, combining AXON's communications expertise with RQA's recall and crisis management services.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Stericycle Recall / ExpertRecall: Stericycle's Recall Solutions / ExpertRecall division is the most direct US competitor to RQA, offering product recall planning, execution, effectiveness checks, and consumer complaint handling across food, pharmaceutical, and consumer products — overlapping almost line-for-line with RQA's core recall and retrieval services.
• Sedgwick: Sedgwick provides product recall, brand protection, and consumer complaint services to manufacturers and insurers globally, directly competing with RQA in recall execution, retail audits, and crisis response for consumer products.
• AIB International: AIB International specializes in food safety auditing, training, and consulting for the food and beverage industry, making it a close functional peer to RQA's food safety and quality assurance services for manufacturers and restaurants.
• GardaWorld / Crisis24: Crisis24 (GardaWorld) provides crisis management, risk consulting, and incident response services globally, directly overlapping with RQA's crisis planning, business continuity, and recall crisis consultancy offerings.

Broad incumbents

• Bureau Veritas: Global TIC giant offering testing, inspection, and certification across food, consumer goods, and commodities; overlaps with RQA's quality audit, supplier approval, and food forensics services as part of a broader enterprise portfolio.
• SGS: One of the largest global TIC firms, providing food testing, supplier audits, and quality assurance services; competes with RQA's food forensics, retail audits, and FSMA-related offerings through its Consumer & Retail division.
• Intertek: Global TIC provider with extensive food, consumer goods, and cosmetics testing capabilities; overlaps with RQA's supplier quality, recall readiness, and product integrity verification services as part of a much broader portfolio.
• NSF International: NSF provides food safety certification, training (including PCQI/FSMA courses), and testing services — directly overlapping with RQA's FSMA training, consultancy, and food forensics offerings, and competing for the same food and beverage compliance budget.
• Mérieux NutriSciences: Global food testing and quality assurance firm offering microbiological, chemical, and sensory testing plus food safety consulting — comparable to RQA's RQA Food Forensics sub-brand and FSMA-aligned service lines.
• Marsh & McLennan (Product Recall Practice): Marsh and its insurance brokerage peers offer product recall risk advisory and pre-incident consulting that overlaps with RQA's insurance channel services, particularly through partnerships with recall insurers and policyholders.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/rqainc
• Facebookfacebook.com/rqa.inc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rqa-inc.

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about RQA