Title: It's The Year Of The Pig For The Consumer
Author: James William Smith
Article:
I opened my local newspaper on Saturday, September 22, 2007 and
saw the picture of my wife's bracelet on the front page. The
bracelet, purchased for her birthday by a friend to benefit a
local charity, was highlighted in color at the top of the page.
The story indicated that the bracelet, made in China, was being
recalled due to a high lead content. Her bracelet is just one
example of a large number of consumer products that have been
recalled from Chinese manufacturers in 2007.
The list of 2007 product recalls from China is not only large in
number, but includes a wide variety of consumer products as
well. The recall list includes the following items: Toxic lead
paint is the problem in products that include jackets and
overalls, bracelets, key chains, children's rings, easels,
paint, lunch boxes, necklaces, and wooden toys. However,
recalled products extend beyond toxic lead paint to overheating
ceramic heaters, flammable lamps and oil heaters, and remote
controls. The extensive list of recalled products also includes
breakable bike frames, faulty extension cords, poison pet food,
hair dryers, faulty wall sconces and candles, flammable baby
clothes, cribs, toxic fish, tires, seafood, toothpaste,
glassware, hammocks, and even recliners.
The recalled products from China come from many major United
States companies; such as, Mattel, Target, Family Dollar Stores,
Holmes Group, Best Buy, Currey and Company, Kidsite Jewelry sold
at Kmart, Toys R Us, Disney, Sears, Cracker Barrel Old Country
Stores and many others.
The stories of tainted Chinese manufactured products are
everywhere. Consider the following:
A California official discovered in July that 350,000 lunchboxes
distributed as part of a promotion to encourage healthy eating
in children contained significant amounts of lead. These
lunchboxes were imported from China through a company called T-A
Creations.
Earlier this year, more than 100 brands of cat and dog food were
pulled from the shelves in the U.S. after pets died from eating
food contaminated with the chemical melamine, traced back to
wheat gluten from China.
In Panama, the deaths of some 51 people have been blamed on
cough syrup tainted with Chinese-made diethylene glycol,
commonly used in antifreeze. The same chemical has been found in
toothpastes from China sold in the US and Canada.
Mattel has had three recalls of toys made in China in 2007. In
total, Mattel has recalled nearly twenty million toys including
Chinese-made Sarge die-cast toys from the Pixar film Cars which
have lead paint. In fact an executive in charge at one Mattel
supplier was reported as having killed himself last month after
toys his firm made were among those recalled. Chinese media
reported that Zhang Shuhong, co-owner of the Lee Der Toy
Company, had been found hanged in one of his factories.
The US imports about one-fifth of its seafood from China. Some
shipments were found to have traces of antibiotics and
disinfectants that are banned in U.S. fish production. Other
inspections uncovered fish products that were tainted with
salmonella and pesticides. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) recently imposed a nationwide hold on the import of five
types of farmed fish and seafood from China.
China is taking the problem seriously. Recently, the former head
of China's State Food and Drug Administration, Zheng Xiaoyu was
executed for corruption. However, China does not appear
confident that their drug safety situation will be resolved
anytime soon. Here is a recent quote from spokeswomen Yan
Jiangying : "As a developing country, China's food and drug
supervision work began late and its foundations are weak.
Therefore, the food and drug safety situation is not something
we can be optimistic about."
With Chinese imports totaling $288 billion per year, President
George W. Bush has set up a panel to look at the safety of food
and other products imported into the United States. He stated
after the first meeting of the panel that, "the American people
expect their government to work tirelessly to make sure consumer
products are safe." Others in Congress are calling for an
"import czar" to oversee all products brought into the United
States.
My wife is puzzled in deciding what to do with her colorful
bracelet high in lead content. Since the charity is absorbing
the cost of the recall, returning the bracelet would only hurt
the good work of the charity and its foundation. The bracelet
will probably remain in its box for now awaiting an uncertain
future.
In China, this is the year of the Pig, which is an appropriate
animal to highlight the quality of many of China's manufactured
products. In fact, the large number of Chinese product recalls
are making 2007 the Year of the Pig for the consumer as well.
http://www.eworldvu.com
About the author:
James William Smith has worked in senior management positions
for some of the largest financial services firms in the United
States for the last twenty five years. He has also provided
business consulting support for insurance organizations and
start up businesses. Mr. Smith has a Bachelor of Science Degree
from Boston College. He enjoys writing articles on political,
national, and world events. Please visit his website at
http://www.eworldvu.com
