My husband brought home the paper tonight. This was one of the headline stories:
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Made in America tops holiday toy lists
Recalls of unsafe Chinese items put parents, stores on guard
Nathan Hurst / The Detroit News
PLYMOUTH -- The requests pouring into Ray Dellavecchia's phone line this summer were reminiscent of a union-backed campaign of yesteryear.
"They were asking us to make the little 'Made in America' flags bigger," said Dellavecchia, president and chief executive officer at Poof-Slinky Inc., the Plymouth-based maker of squishy foam toys and owner of the iconic Slinky brand.
"A lot of retailers want us to put larger American flags on our packages. Their customers are equating that with safety now."
After a year full of product safety scares, many related to Chinese-made toys, makers and sellers of toys in the United States -- including many in Metro Detroit -- are putting in extra effort ahead of the holiday retail rush to address consumers' concerns about unsafe playthings.
Months of recalls -- from Chinese pet food to car tires to toys -- has consumers questioning quality control measures in overseas factories and the ability of U.S. regulatory agencies to ensure safety.
The requests for larger American flags are just one example of the strategies retailers are taking to deal with the confusion and prop up toy sales as the holiday shopping season begins. At Poof-Slinky, Dellavecchia expects the new love for American-made products will help boost the company's already growing sales.
Packaging isn't the only thing that's changing.
Stores such as Toys "R" Us have set up special sections on their Web sites to provide information about the rash of recalls this year, according to Lisa Lewin, a spokeswoman for the Wayne, N.J.-based company. The retailer also has implemented its own safety-checking system for toys and a service that sends out e-mails to consumers if something they've bought happens to be recalled.
"We've found that being up front with our customers has proven successful," Lewin said. "Our customers know they can trust us to be honest."
The Toy Industry Association, which represents U.S. manufacturers and retailers, is helping retailers respond to consumer concerns over the safety of toys, and also is taking its own stand on safety. The association asserts that all toys sold in the country are required to pass rigorous inspections, all under "the most extensive, effective and widely emulated standards in the world."
Parents have safety role, too. Consumer safety advocates, however, say retailers' reassurances and government regulations aren't enough to keep kids safe.
Ed Mierzwinski, federal consumer program director for the United States Public Interest Research Group, said that instead of actively ferreting out tainted products before they hit shelves, the government relies on reactionary measures like recalls to protect the public.
Mierzwinski said parents and other toy buyers will need to be especially vigilant when deciding what to give children this holiday season.
"The Consumer Product Safety Commission has demonstrated a total inability to protect children, and that's leaving that role in parents' hands," he said. "These agencies have had their resources gutted and can't do the work needed to keep products safe."
Mierzwinski suggests parents avoid painted toys, and instead look for those decorated with stick-on patterns or decorations. But he conceded that most parents would find that kind of diligence difficult.
Short of that, his group urges parents to keep track of product recalls and return toys as soon as they know there's a problem.
More on recall watch
Many toy buyers, particularly parents, are taking such advice to heart.
After having two of her 2-year-old son's Thomas the Tank Engine toys recalled this summer because of concerns over lead in the toy's paint, Kristin Tyranski is among those who have become pickier buyers.
"After all these recalls, the lead problem is most definitely a concern," said Tyranski, a 41-year-old mother of three boys in Birmingham. She is having her youngest son's blood tested for lead.
"But I do feel more comfortable now that so much attention has been brought on the toy companies. I like the fact that they're keeping on top of it."
A report released Monday by Maritz Research showed 77 percent of toy buyers this holiday season who were aware of the recent recalls would be paying closer attention to their purchases by checking country of origin labels and lists of recalled products.
Nearly a quarter said they won't be buying any toys made in China. That could prove a challenge, given that some 80 percent of toys sold in the United States are made in China, according to government and industry estimates.
"I can't rule them all out," Tyranski said of Chinese-made toys. "I can just hope that the extra attention to enforcing the standards will work."
You can reach Nathan Hurst at (313) 222-2293 or nhurst@detnews.com.
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