Retailers To Take Some Responsibility for Toy Testing
Retailers Face the Test of Testing [Wall Street Journal]
With the start of the holiday season and worries over the safety of imported toys, leading retailers say they are stepping up testing before toys hit store shelves, retesting toys already in their inventories and toughening demands on manufacturers and importers.
Toys “R” Us Inc. says it now requires suppliers to identify the name and address of the factory that produced items and to certify that third-party testing has found each batch of goods to be safe. Target Corp. says it has expanded testing for its store-brand toys, including testing at multiple stages of the production process for small parts and lead paint.
Retailers want, among other things, to head off lawsuits and legislation that could hurt their business. But extra testing might not be enough to assuage consumers and stave off stepped-up enforcement, as well as new laws that would increase fines and give regulators more authority to crack down on unsafe goods. Lead is a particular concern because it can cause neurological damage, especially in young children.
Consumer groups and some state officials doubt that retailers’ testing is helping. Last week, an environmental-health group said it had purchased 19 toys with excessive levels of lead, and the U.S. Public Interest Research Group said it, too, found unsafe toys on store shelves.
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Posted by Alex Goldschmidt on Monday, November 26 | 0 comments | Permalink
Everyone’s At Risk
Campaign for America’s Future provides a humorous look at the dangers of the unregulated toy industry. Click here to watch the video.
Barbie Tells CPSC to Get The Lead Out In Viral Video [Washington Post]
Another reason to avoid sleeping with an ex: fear of contracting lead poisoning.
Just ask Barbie, who got it from Ken.
That’s according to “Toxic Toys: A Poisonous Affair,” a YouTube attack on the Consumer Product Safety Commission produced by the nonprofit Campaign for America’s Future.
The video’s release last week came after Democratic lawmakers called for the ousting of CPSC acting Chairman Nancy Nord and after the California attorney general sued 20 companies—including Barbie-maker Mattel—for producing toys with unlawful quantities of lead.
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Posted by Alex Goldschmidt on Monday, November 26 | 0 comments | Permalink
U.S. PIRG Report: Tainted Toys Still on Store Shelves
A new report from U.S. PIRG exposes deadly toys still being sold at Wal-Mart and other major retailers. The report makes clear that even if every recalled toy was taken off store shelves, many products with toxic amounts of lead would remain. The current toy recall system is ineffective at best and actively harmful at worst. As the largest toy retailer in the country, Wal-Mart plays a leadership role in the toy industry, and bears much of the responsibility for how (and at what cost) toys are produced. To learn more about Wal-Mart’s role in product safety, download the latest issue of Wal-Mart Watch In Depth: Danger for Sale.
Toys Still Tainted with Lead [CNN Money]
More toys tainted with extremely high levels of lead were found on the shelves at major U.S. retailers, according to an advocacy group’s survey released Tuesday.
The U.S. Public Interest Research Group, which released the “2007 Trouble in Toyland” report, highlighted hazards that included lead, dangerous small magnets, and toys that pose choking and strangulation hazards.
“While we have seen progress after more than two decades of advocacy on behalf of America’s littlest consumers, U.S. PIRG’s researchers still found trouble in toyland on store shelves this fall,” said Ed Mierzwinski, the consumer program director at the U.S. PIRG.
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Posted by Alex Goldschmidt on Wednesday, November 21 | 29 comments | Permalink
Toy Recalls Threaten Black Friday Profits
A story out today from the Chicago Tribune examines how lead-tainted toys are still being sold at stores across Illinois. The 11-page investigation shows that consumers everywhere are still worried about toy safety, and analysts predict that these lingering concerns are going to damage holiday sales. This is a perfect example of how investing in product quality saves money in the long run: toy recalls have cost manufacturers and retailers billions of dollars this year, and that’s not helping anyone’s bottom line.
As the AP story below explains, Wal-Mart is slashing prices in hopes of convincing consumers to buy its faulty products anyway. However, cutting costs no matter what the price is the mentality that got Wal-Mart in this situation in the first place. When it comes to product safety, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Wal-Mart could boost its stock price and protect American consumers at the same time.
Click here to read more about Wal-Mart’s product safety record.
Toy Recalls, Iffy Economy Aid Shoppers [Associated Press via Las Vegas Sun]
Lead on toys was bad enough, but last week’s recall of a toy tainted with a date rape drug threatens to turn into a lump of coal for toy retailers just as the key holiday selling season gets started.
The recall of Aqua Dots comes just as the industry was starting to see shoppers return to toy stores after summer’s high-profile recalls of more than 21 million Chinese-made toys with high levels of lead or dangerous magnets.
Aqua Dots, distributed by Spin Master Ltd. in the U.S. but made in China, was on many retailers’ hot toy lists, and there are very few substitutes, retail executives say.
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Posted by Alex Goldschmidt on Monday, November 19 | 53 comments | Permalink
California Attorney General Forcing Manufacturers’ Hand On Product Safety?
The Los Angeles Times today reports that the State of California and the City of Los Angeles are filing suit against 20 toy manufacturers and retailers, “accusing them of making or selling products that contain ‘unlawful quantities of lead.’”
It should be a welcome move by Californians, and all Americans who are clearly becoming fed up with the endless stream of product recalls in recent months. The tough talk is encouraging: “‘Obviously, they do not want to put warnings. They are going to eliminate the lead or eliminate the product,’ said Atty. Gen. Jerry Brown. ‘But, going forward, we want to prevent these kind of things from happening.’”
The suit comes under the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986 (California Health and Safety Code section 25249.6), also known as Proposition 65,” which requires businesses to provide persons with a “clear and reasonable warning” before exposing individuals to chemicals known to the state to cause cancer or reproductive harm. Under the California Unfair Competition Act, violators of Proposition 65 can be fined up to $2,500 per violation, per day.
Wal-Mart is one of the defendants named to the suit, although in the spirit of equal airtime, toy companies such as Mattel and Fisher Price, and other retailers including Target, Sears, K-Mart and Toys R Us were also named. You can find the Attorney General’s press release here, and the complaint filed in Alameda County Superior Court here.
More, from the Los Angeles Times:
The California attorney general and Los Angeles city attorney filed a lawsuit today against Mattel Inc., Toys R Us Inc. and 18 other companies, accusing them of making or selling products that contain “unlawful quantities of lead.”
The move follows major recalls of toys, lunchboxes, children’s jewelry and other goods during the last year by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission in Washington.
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Posted by Eric Bull on Monday, November 19 | 10 comments | Permalink
Happy HoLEADays from the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is asking consumers to “get the lead out.” Click below to play the video, “Happy HoLEADays.”
Posted by Alex Goldschmidt on Monday, November 19 | 4 comments | Permalink
Just in Time for Christmas: Examining Wal-Mart’s Product Safety Record
Wal-Mart Watch is pleased to release our latest edition of In Depth: An Inside Look at the Largest Retailer on Earth.
In this issue, “Danger for Sale,” we expose Wal-Mart’s woeful record on consumer product safety issues. Whether it is E. Coli in the meat, melamine in the dog food, or lead paint on the children’s toys – far too many dangerous products have turned up on Wal-Mart’s shelves, and far too little effort has been given by Wal-Mart to ensure the safety and well-being of its customers.
As the largest retailer in the world, Wal-Mart could use its clout to push manufacturers into raising the safety standards of their products. Instead, Wal-Mart continues to demand low prices at any cost and any standard from manufacturers, putting consumers at risk.
Click here to view and download the full edition of In Depth. Visit the Publications section of our site to read previous issues.
Posted by Media Team on Friday, November 16 | 1 comments | Permalink
A Year Of Recalls: Finally Putting A Damper On Holiday Shopping?
2007 has been a particularly tough year American families buying toys for their kids. One after another this year, kids toys have been recalled – especially those made in China and sold in huge numbers at big box retailers like Wal-Mart.
The steady stream of recalls this year has seemed endless. First it was Barbie toys, kids chairs, and toy trains. Then it was Magnetics sets that were responsible for death of one at least one child, and finally the Aqua Dots, whose coating, when swallowed, turned into the date rape drug. (A full list can be found on the CPSC Website)
And although Wal-Mart and other retaliers won’t like the news, it looks like Americans are starting to grow weary of the trend. A recent Harris poll detailed in a Marketwatch story shows American consumers are clearly concerned with the issue of product safety. A full 33% of Americans say they plan to buy less toys this year during the holidays, and 45% say they plan to avoid buying toys made in China
“If parents were on the fence about buying Chinese-made toys prior to this recall, we believe many may be pushed over the edge by this one,” analyst Garrick Johnson was quoted as saying.
It has been a sad year for manufacturers and retailers alike. In today’s retail-driven economy, it is no secret that Wal-Mart is the standard-bearer. When Wal-Mart leads, other retailers are often forced to follow, or go out of business. Wal-Mart could easily use their power to push manufacturers into increasing their product safety regulations, and move the retail industry in a responsible direction. Instead, they continually demand price cuts - forcing desperate manufacturers to churn out products without adequate inspection. We hope that the American consumer has finally had enough.
Posted by Eric Bull on Thursday, November 15 | 29 comments | Permalink
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