A Recall That's Nothing To Toy With
As a mother, I know that everything a toddler plays with eventually ends up in their mouth. So I could relate to Lisa Kable, a Los Angeles mother, who was horrified to learn that her son's Sesame Street toy contained lead in it. The Fisher-Price toy was one of nearly a million recalled by its parent company, Mattel. Lisa's a diligent parent who tries to buy the best products for her son, but she told us there's only so much she can do. "Parents can do the best that they can to supervise and keep their kids safe but we have to trust, especially in the big companies, that what they are putting out there is safe." Mattel is, after all, the world's biggest toy company.
Apparently, the Chinese manufacturer making the Mattel toys was using paint that was not approved by the company itself. Today Mattel's CEO expressed his regret over the mistake and pledged action: "Our goal is to correct this problem, improve our systems and maintain the trust of the families that have allowed us to be part of their lives by acting responsibly and quickly to address their concerns. Mattel is conducting a thorough investigation into the matter."Complete list of recalled toys and product numbers
We spoke to Don Mays at Consumer Reports. He says that Mattel has a reputation for good safety practices in the toy industry but points out that this is their fourth recall in 12 months, a pattern he finds concerning. "In this case," he explained, "they actually entrusted the testing of these toys to the actual factory that was producing them. We think that that was a mistake." The answer, he says is "third party testing and inspection to make sure that the products are safe and perhaps even a safety certification on toys much like there is a safety certification on the electrical products that are used in this country."
While the Chinese government says 99% of its products are safe, this latest recall is heightening concerns about what is imported from that country. The Fisher-Price recall comes on the heels of other high profile recalls of tires, pet food and Thomas the train toys. And as Christmas approaches, and more toys are purchased, some parents are worried the Chinese import problem is not being solved quickly enough.