Mattel Announces Another Recall

Another week, another recall for Mattel.

This week, when telling Americans that they should expect more recalls in the coming months, an ominous warning was issued by the Consumer Product Safety Commission about the safety of toys manufactured in China, “If I were a betting person I’d bet on more lead paint recalls. It’s clear that lead paint on toys is not isolated just to Mattel.”

This recall affected three categories of toys. The smallest percentage of the recall was made up of Big Big World 6-in-1 Bongo Band toys while 90,000 Geo Trax Locomotive Toys have been removed from the shelves. The largest portion of the Mattel recall is comprised of Barbie accessories, affecting nearly 700,000 toys.

Consumer Product Safety Commission Director of Information Julie Vallese commented, “The CPSC has its own investigations currently underway to make sure products on shelves are meeting US safety standards,” said Vallese on a conference call. It is fair to say that we haven’t seen the last of product recalls that may be tied to a violation of the lead paint standard. This is a non-negotiable point. China needs to put plans and procedures in place so that products exported to U.S. are lead-free.”

Made in the U.S.A. may be a much more important label for millions of American consumers as we approach the holiday shopping season. If the CPSC is correct, and many more recalls are yet to come, consumers need to protect themselves and their loved ones when searching for and purchasing toys. Recalls help, but not if your child has been using a toy tainted by unsafe levels of lead paint for the past year and a half.

Next week, the CPSC will be holding a Sino-American Safety Summit.

Let’s all hope it helps.