Considering the ever increasing of recalls of dangerous imports, will
there be a future recall of defective imported (Chinese likely the
major one) in the future?

Note the story I include covering other recalled imports.

TMT

Recall concerns parents, toy companies By ANNE D'INNOCENZIO, AP
Business Writer


Wendy Schneider-Fisher is nervous about what toys to buy her children.
"I'm less inclined to buy anything from China," said Schneider-Fisher,
of New Albany, Ohio, who was heading into a local Toys "R" Us
Thursday. "And I'm upset our government doesn't do more to stop it."

Schneider-Fisher's comments reflect the quandary many American parents
face after the world's largest toy company, Mattel Inc., recalled
almost 1 million Chinese-made toys because they may contain lead.

As if fears over contaminated toothpaste, poisoned pet food and faulty
tires weren't enough, the latest recall of Chinese-made products has
anxious parents rummaging through toy chests to find tainted Big Birds
and Dora the Explorer toys.

It also has stressed-out toy companies going through their inventory
to see if their products are harmless. And it has China, again,
insisting that its products are safe.

On Thursday, Mattel's Fisher-Price brand announced it is recalling 83
types of toys - including the popular Big Bird, Elmo, Dora and Diego
characters - because their paint contains excessive amounts of lead.
The recall involves 967,000 plastic preschool toys made by a Chinese
vendor and sold in the United States between May and August.

Under current U.S. regulations, children's products found to have more
than 0.06 percent lead are subject to a recall.

For parents, replacing the tainted toys with ones they trust are safe
could pose a problem: 80 percent of all toys are made in China.

"It seems like everything's from China but if I could find a similar
toy that was American made, I would definitely buy it even if it cost
more," said Allen Mayne, of Columbus, Ohio, who was shopping at a
local Toys "R" Us for his 9-year-old daughter.

"I think it would be in everyone's best interests to look for American-
made products, stuff you can feel confident about, stuff that's just
not the cheapest junk that you can get," he said.

With discounters like Wal-Mart Stores Inc. waging price wars, the
pressure has been on toy companies to cut costs by producing cheaper
toys in China. With exceptions like Mattel, which estimates that about
50 percent of its production in China is made in company-owned plants,
many toy companies turn to contract factories, a cheaper alternative.

Thursday's toy recall follows the June recall by RC2 Corp. of 1.5
million wooden railroad toys and set parts from its Thomas & Friends
Wooden Railway product line because of lead paint. Those toys were
also made in China.

Industry experts are worried there will be more toy recalls to come,
and fear parents will be more skeptical when buying holiday toys, even
avoiding Chinese products altogether.

"Everyone is concerned that this could really undermine the
traditional toy business if consumers think that the toys are unsafe,"
said New York-based toy consultant Chris Byrne.

Mattel, considered by experts as a role model in how to do business in
China, remained in crisis control Thursday.

The company contends the recall was "fast-tracked," allowing it to
quarantine two-thirds of the toys before they even made it to stores.
Still, executives are trying to find out how this situation happened.

"There is an extreme sense of urgency," said David Allmark, general
manager of Fisher-Price.

Jim Walter, senior vice president of worldwide quality assurance for
Mattel, is heading to China to meet with vendors.

China also moved to clear up another blot on its reputation.

"China has always conducted international trade in the spirit of being
responsible to its trade partners and itself," China's Commerce
Minister Bo Xilai said in a statement published Thursday on the
ministry's Web site. "Ninety-nine percent of China's exports are good
and safe."

There is also increasing pressure for government regulation of the
U.S. toy industry.

Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., introduced a bill last month that he
contended would dramatically expand the Consumer Product Safety
Commission's ability to protect the public. Another piece of
legislation, introduced by Durbin and Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., would
require third-party testing of imported and domestic toys and goods
designed for children 5 years old or younger.

The CPSC now allows manufacturers to inspect and approve their own
children's products.

"We need better regulation of the toy industry. Until then, parents
are going to have to be the watchdogs," said Joanne Oppenheim,
president of Oppenheim Toy Portfolio, which produces an annual
independent toy guide.

Hasbro Inc. said in a statement, it "maintains stringent quality
control standards in all aspects of the manufacturing process, in both
Hasbro-owned factories as well as factories that are contracted to
produce Hasbro-branded product."

Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit group that produces the "Sesame Street"
TV program said Thursday it plans independent audits and other steps
in an attempt to hold licensees to the highest health and safety
standards.

Retailers including KB Toys Inc., Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Toys "R" Us
Inc. said they removed all the affected products off the shelves in
recent days, but they are left to contend with shoppers' concerns.

"I'm going to pay much more attention to what I'm giving my children.
I absolutely would pay more for 'green' toys," said Schneider-Fisher.

___

Associated Press writers Emily Zeugner in Columbus, Ohio, and Rose
French in Nashville, Tenn. contributed to this report.