Feb 18 2008
if you don’t QC, someone else just might do it for you
I have already written about the need for quality control and due diligence. And for QC, I harp on this everytime I see a news article that mentions that some Chinese imported product has lead paint, poisoned someone, or killed a pet. It seems like every other day when I read articles about this now.
Here is a new twist though. If you don’t do your own quality control, someone else might do it for you. In a pair of articles last week, it seems that both the European Union and some major retailers have decided to test products themselves.
From CNN Money, there was an article last Friday that talks about WalMart and Toys ‘R Us:
Wal-Mart Stores and Toys “R” Us announced new mandatory safety checks Friday for its toy manufacturers following a wave of recalls that hurt the industry this past holiday season.
The separate announcements came ahead of next week’s scheduled statement from the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) about new stricter toy safety guidelines for both toymakers and retailers.
Wal-Mart, the world’s largest retailer, said it told its suppliers in January that they would have have to meet enhanced safety standards for new and “reordered toys” that will be sold in its stores this year.
The Toys “R” Us guidelines include third-party testing of each batch of toys that’s imported into the United States and calling for a significant reduction in lead content found in paints used for coating toys.
Toys “R” Us – the nation’s biggest independent toy retailer – said these new stricter guidelines apply to all manufacturers whose products are shipped to the company on or after March 1.
The retailer said that, by the end of 2008, all infant products sold at its namesake and Babies “R” Us stores in the United States are prohibited from containing any phthalates, chemicals that have been linked to possible reproductive problems and birth defects.
Wal-Mart spokeswoman Melissa O’Brien said toys made by its suppliers cannot have more than 0.1% phthalate content.
“We are requiring independent third-party lab testing of all new and reordered toys for chemical content,” O’Brien said.
And the European Union is inspecting rice in this AP article:
The European Union imposed strict new testing rules Tuesday on imported rice from China, claiming recent shipments contained a genetically altered strain that is banned in the EU.
EU Health Commissioner Markos Kyprianou said the decision was intended to prevent any future imports of the banned Bt-63, genetically modified variety of rice, which was discovered during 2006-2007 by national food safety authorities.
“Under food safety legislation only GMO’s (genetically modified organisms) which have undergone a thorough scientific assessment and authorization procedure may be put on the EU market,” Kyprianou said in a statement.
The European Commission said that, despite repeated notifications, Chinese authorities have been unable to prevent the banned rice from reaching Europe, so all rice imports will now face testing.
Now, do not think that this means you can get away without doing QC because someone else will do it for you. I’m sure that Toys ‘R Us or WalMart will not continue to buy from you if its your toys that continue to fail the product tests. Sure, you may get away with some of it, but for the long-term health of your business, that’s bad policy. So now you have a few incentives to do QC:
- civil liability, which we all expected;
- criminal liability, which is now being used in the U.S. in the pet food cases;
- media criticism, which happens frequently;
- loss of revenue if your retailer dumps you or you can’t even get your product into the E.U.
Need I say more?
[...] if you don’t QC, someone else just might do it for you (China Esquire) [...]