Made in China: Product Recalls in 2007

I find it weird how it's always the toys that are recalled. I assume it's because they have very tight requirements though after this many years you'd figure they'd get it right. On the bright side, now that the dollar is going down maybe we'll see more "Made in USA".

Thanks for your comment, pdajewski. As a parent, I worry that so many toys from China have been recalled in just 2007 alone. In fact, I've gotten to a point where I won't buy metallic-looking toys from vending machines or so-called dollar stores. The research that I did for the Toxic Toys, Toxic Trinkets article was all the evidence I needed. I haven't reached a point where I won't buy Chinese products at all, but for me the phrase "Made in China" means "Be careful. All is not what is seems."

On a happier note for China they are not the worst offenders when it comes to food recalls according to the New York Times:

I would like to bring to your notice the fact that most of the Indians living in USA today are either first generation or second generation immigrants who have not switched to American food habits completely.

I can almost bet that 95 % of the food from India refused at border is traditional Indian stuff which generally is accepted by the huge masses in India and targeted at the ex-pats. Believe me no exporter will allow contamination of exported food willfully or due to negligence. Most of these exporters are mainly traders & not the original manufacturers.

This "Specialty" food is reserved for internal consumption only !!!

Please note most of the food refused was because of pesticides. The pesticide regulation for american farmers are way higher than even many european countries. In mexico and south america they regularly apply pesticides that americans can not, and with much less oversight. Some of these are deemed safe enough at the point of entry for those food products to still be allowed entry into the US for sale. Also, obviously, only a small portion of the products get tested, after all it is USDA responsibility. I suspect, that given the lower safety standard in many asian countries that they similarly suffer a issue from use of illegal pesticides, e.g. DDT.

Moose,

I'm glad you have started this thread because it's a real issue. I too am a parent and I am also a local shopper in places like Honest Weight Food Coop. I emailed them when Veggie Booty first was discovered to have contamination a week or so ago. It was pulled off their shelves as they monitor this type of thing. We used to buy Veggie Booty and now that local children have been sickened by it (read today's Times Union).

I do not want to demonize China as my experiences with Chinese people in San Francisco were very positive. BUT, we have to look at the larger picture and uncover the truth behind mass marketing, cheap manufacturing, big box stores and how all of the above ruins society. This is a great moment for people in the USA to wake up and realize that shopping at Big Box stores is not the best way to take care of their families. We can take our dollars back to the few remaining Mom and Pop, family-owned businesses and support them before it's too late.

If we don't act now, and use our wallets to change policy, we will suffer the consequences and all be eating contaminated veggie booty and buying cheap plastic toxic toys for our children.

Thank you for allowing me this opportunity to rant!

Jules

You're most welcome, Jules. Thanks for sharing your insights and experiences here!

Moose

"In fact, I've gotten to a point where I won't buy metallic-looking toys from vending machines or so-called dollar stores."

Right on! China development operates without thinking a lot of the time. The Reebok bracelet is a perfect example.

I guarantee this is what happened:

1) The bracelet did not meet it's approved strength requirement.

2) 1st development samples (the ones that failed strength) passed CPSC testing indicating no problems with lead or banned substances.

3) 2nd development samples now pass lab testing for strength but are not retested for lead or solubility because they already passed the first time. NOW LOOK AT THE PICTURE IN THE LINK BELOW.

http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml06/06119.html

The links originally failed because they are merely bent wire. To improve them, they were dipped into a lead solder bath (you can see the closed ends in the pic.) Is China that stupid not to pick up on this or these factories that unethical and immoral? I get frustrated as hell because I pick up on crap like this all the time. My company will never have an issue like this as long as I am around.

Also, people crack on Walmart about being "cheap", but they have some pretty tough standards. They require private labs to test all their products. They are such a big account, who is going to refuse to abide? Maybe they will never become PVC free or ban nickle plated items, but then maybe they will.

It looks like China is trying to clean up their act......

all the wrong way see:

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/wn_report/2007/07/11/2007-07-11_china_food__drug_czar_executed_after_exp.html

Thanks, techno. In a way, the Chinese government took the easy way out. They killed the guy at the top to prove that the party leaders run the show. But do the Communist bosses have the persistence to go after the deeper, more structural problems? It's my understanding that there's a whole culture of corruption that ultimately results in the need for these product recalls.

you said "to prove that the party leaders run the show. "

(A little intolerant to different ways of doing things?)

I don't believe that was the primary reason. I believe that the people in power desperately believe their country will be successful, and are willing to do anything to make it happen. Only with strong statements are they able to keep the masses in line. Although the society does not live up to our standards of preservation of life, It has progressed. It wasn't long ago when the culprit's whole family would have been executed.

I believe there is still a few states where capital punishment is practiced in the US for the most serious offences. I am sure that if you make the country look bad in China, it is considered equal to treason. It was only a decade ago that Canada removed its death penalty for treason. The mans death could also be attributed to pressure from the west.

We always compare the world with our own standards. Our standards for leadership have slowly progressed because a democratic leader has to be popular and killing your constituents is not popular. With our standards it would seem that the Chinese government is at it wits end because the last resort of a good leader is to use force. It is poor leadership that uses force as the first reaction to control problems. In a totalitarian society, it may simply be keeping good order and enforcing its laws.

The problem here is "corruption". Corruption is pervasive in most societies. It is a result of peoples inadequacies. They overcome their inability to become a useful participant in society by vying for power.

A company that cannot meet standards will try to have power over the standards by buying off a politician or auditor.

A person that has no practical skills becomes good at controlling or influencing people. The best at influencing people become politicians. The politician stays in power by pleasing the most people, or by force.

The only way a society can reduce corruption is to make everyone a useful part of society with a common vision. Classes or perception of classes must be eliminated. People are rewarded for good work, and mistakes are accepted without punishment and used as a learning experience. Open and honest communications are absolutely essential. (Idealistic)

If we have learnt a better way to do something, we should freely share it with the rest of the world, not keep it to ourselves in order to make more money, or become more powerful. We should certainly not arrogantly lord it over the other societies. We should share our standards and processes and not just get upset if they are not met. The Chinese government may not meet our standards, however, I believe some of the peoples culture in the respect of the family and elders and community outstrips the West in many ways. For a late starter in the industrial age, they are certainly progressing faster than any other. A successful society makes everyone feel important and useful.

"It is poor leadership that uses force as the first reaction to control problems." -Iraq?

The products which have been recalled would most likely have been of a quality which our parents would have accepted for our use, back in the 50s and 60s.

There was a similar influx of cheap toys in Western Europe when the Soviet Union collapsed, and the newly-reformed Eastern European countries had to start fending for themselves.

For a country which got into the machine age 150years after the West, they are generally only 50years behind - and closing the gap fast. The more we complain, the faster the gap will close. Who will be ahead in 20 years?

I think it will change well before that.

They have the will, the manpower, the protectionism, and the education required.

Back in the 70s when I was in a private high school in Ontario, 1/3 of the students were Chinese nationals that the government of China had paid their way, for our best education. (The same school was on the short list for the princes of England)

The competition they had to beat to get here was phenomenal. Typically they had to be better than over a million other students. We had one student who was so smart he literally skipped every second year of education. By 16 years old he was graduating university with an engineering degree. His average mark that year was 98% but he took the final exam so he could raise his mark.

I fully expect them to take the lead within the next 10 years - the question is whether the Western governments are up to fighting back (in a figurative way, please!)

The world trade is equalizing all the nations one by one. Russia, India, China, and Africa etc.

The real question is with the exponentially increasing production capacity, what are we going to produce to keep all these people working. We are going to need a huge Vision like colonizing Mars, space, etc too keep everyone with a job.

Yes, they kill someone to show they'll do something about it. Also hide whoever was involved higher up.

Corruption is not only in China. Its everywhere, as long as we live in a society where money control everything.

China is changing slowly but you can't really change a 3000 years old way of thinking in a short time. Information is still restricted in China. People don't know what's going on outside China.

Pineapple

I wonder how come only one person was executed. Everyone knows it takes TWO to Tango.

In this particular case it would have taken nothing less then 10 to Tango.

But if you blame more then one it looks like a systemic problem.... which makes the government look bad again.

This only what has been recalled. I prohibit anyone bringing chineese made tools into my shop especially cutting and wire wheels made for grinders and drills. I doubt it will get better since you can sue them like you can in America. That is when it will stop.

Thanks for your comment, Guest. I'll hope you'll come back and register with CR4!

Best,

Moose

Dangerous designs, created by low wage, child, and prison labor, and American and Western European companies who are so concerned with the bottom line that they are willing, no, eager to sell out their own people to realize a few more cents on the dollar/euro. I also think of a vast dumping ground for waste materials from all over the world, and a level of pollution and environmental degradation which hasn't been seen in this country in the west in over half a century. Then there's the hyper devalued currency, and a trade deficit that is tearing the heart out of America. I that enough? Well, add to that a level of disregard for intellectual property that makes them the largest pirate nation on the planet. I just can't say enough good things about China.

I'm sorry but I refuse to demonize the Chinese for not being up to 21st century standards.

I put the blame on the "something for nothing" mentality that has raised the requirements on products here through draconian regulations and egregious damage awards and then hypocritically makes their purchases based on lowest price and presuming the same flippin level of 'consumer protections. Where does that thinking come from?

What class or church did all these "lets buy the cheapest, it must be the highest quality" yahoos go to to learn that thinking. I missed the invitation to that session.

This is a human issue, not a Chinese issue, and as old as time. 'Caveat emptor,' Let the buyer beware, dates back from Roman times, as does our closing - sincerely, taken from sin cera which means without wax, and was the last caption on Roman contracts for purchases of marble- wax hid the micro fissures and small cracks in the stone. Juran Institute logo is taken from a hieroglyph of an inspector measuring a building stone- for the pyramids.

So excuse me, but expecting the Chinese to have a fully deployed modern product quality system in only two generations after Mao's kill off of the intelligentsia in the Cultural Revolution is rather sophomoric. Why would anyone equate cheap labor with high quality?

Don't confuse/equate "cheap" with "high quality or safety" and you'll be fine.

Think cheap equals high quality and safety-here's your sign. Say hi to to the dodo birds, and to the folks who died of electrocution when they tried to steal copper high voltage lines when you get where you're going- Darwin is the new St Peter, there.

milo

Milo, thanks for your clear insight into the results of greed. I can only add, having been in China, that the entire culture is rife with corruption. Bribery is a way of life when dealing with even the very lowest official.

There are two governments in China. One is open to the press with self glorifying "news releases". The true government hides behind a culture of secrecy, deception and an "old boy" network of relatives, clans and wealth.

This is the culture that allows and even promotes the theft of intellectual property, counterfeiting, and "reverse engineering" under the banner of "it's good for the economy" which also translates into "and it will make me rich".

The ability to become wealthy has been denied to the majority of Chinese for centuries. The sudden infusion of foriegn interest in cheaply made goods produced a "feeding frenzy" of manufacturing opportunities. As a result these opportunities produced wealth in a socitey which has never had a dispersion of wealth before.

Cultural mores' which have controlled Chinese society for centuries have falllen under the onslaught of opportunities to become wealthy. Western values are parroted in the presence of westeners but wholly ignored in the "real world' of Chinese life.

Times have changed for all of us. The days in the western world where a handshake was all that was needed to seal a contract are over. Those days never existed in the Chinese world. Expecting the Chinese to give up any advantage including those "advantages" we consider reprehensible is wishful thinking at best.

Milo,

For me the problem with China is that they don't use the proper manufacturing processes that are already out there. You're saying that we shouldn't expect them to be up to 21st century standards, which I don't agree with. The amount of products that are manufactured there is obviously huge and as a result we should expect them to at least implement good manufacturing processes. Don't think that only China is responsible for this. All of the companies outsourcing to China to save those few dollars also have equal share in the blame. I think the government should fine companies that are outsourcing to China and than trying to import products don't meet the requirements.

I hear you loud and clear. but processes aren't just latest and greatest equipment. Processes also have a huge component of experience, judgement, and courage to make appropriate decisions. This is cultural, this is human, and this is what the Chinese companies lack. Yes they will graduate a million engineers. but do they have a million courageous savvy manufacturing guys who have the chutzpah to shut the line down when its making crap? In a culture where the party bosses can shoot you, that independent courageous mind is probably nonexistent.

I spent 10 days in china visiting manufacturing plants, and I truly believe that the the people that i met in the shops offices receptions and dinners mean no malice to anyone. But I also noted that not one of them would have had the courage to put their hands up and say this is 'bad" even if they worked in quality. They were universally very consensus driven- wanted to show belonging. They have a term for 'face' which is much much richer than anything we have in English, but it basically is a huge emphasis on honor/dishonor. That means no independence.

SO to your point, what should be done to the profiteers who are abusing this system- Well, i don't have an opinion. I'm no fan of the nanny state, there was no government agency certifying oxcart wheels when my forebears trekked across the alleghenies, and nobody in my family today is mistaking cheap Chinese tires for High quality safety critical bargains for our cars.

Lets use our brains. Cheap does not equal quality.

thanks for the response!

milo

Correct, however, cheap does mean everyone can have what you 'need' in the must have culture. Otherwise places like walmart, zellers, and the dollar stores would not exist.

The fact that the majority of people are not wealthy, and they either buy cheap or do without. This has created a society that demands the cheap and low quality item.

If it were not so:

• Beta would have done better than VHS
• Mac would have done better than Microsoft
• Commodore would have done better than Mac
• No-one would ever drive a VW or a Mustang, or Neon
• Carhart jeans would have done better than Levy
• The Avro Arrow would be the best SS jet
• We would all be living in Solar powered houses and driving electric vehicles
• There would be no pollution.

Milo,

With regard to your visit to Chinese manufacturing plants, do you feel that workers' unwillingness to report quality control problems is more about honor, dishonor and a cultural need for consensus; or more about being afraid to buck the system? Perhaps it's some of both?

I'm not a fan of the "nanny state" either, but I can't accept the libertarian notion that government regulation is unnecessary because "people should just know better". Even if we assume that everyone is rational and intelligent, it's unlikely that all consumers will always have all of the information that they need to make the best purchasing decisions. There are a far greater number of products on the market today than in the world of our ancestors. In addition, these products are much more complex, or are at least produced in more complicated processes.

What happens when the guy who was "dumb enough" to buy crappy Chinese tires has a blowout on the Jersey Turnpike during rush hour? The family of four that he injures are affected by his "individual" decision to buy poor-quality goods. As John Donne once said, "No man is an island".

Thanks for contributing so much to this discussion.

Respectfully,

Moose

Regardless of the pressures, We overcame these problems with a little anonymous device called a 'Suggestion Box'

"What happens when the guy who was "dumb enough" to buy crappy Chinese tires has a blowout on the Jersey Turnpike during rush hour?" - as long as he was smart enough to buy a Citroen with hydropneumatic suspension, he stops and puts on the spare. (Another entry for Techno's list of bests)

The Chinese attitude does seem to differ from the Japanese one, where they would not wish to lose face by sending out inferior products.

Are the Chinese organised in a traditional Western method of "Us-and-them", or more like the Japanese "all-in-it-together"?

Interesting discussion. As the New San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge begins Chinese fabrication of a couple billion dollars' worth of steel for the signature span and tower, it will be interesting indeed to see what comes of quality control from two quite different approaches, negotiated by monolinguistic and ethnocentric engineers... on both sides of the game board.

MerMayde

As long as they do better than the "best steel" used for the Tay Bridge.

Welcome to the discussion and to CR4, MerMayde. Glad to have you here.

Best,

Moose

High Moose and everyone.

A little bit of all would probably be the right answer, but I feel that it is because they feel that they do not havethe rank or 'social stature' to tell a 'superior' what they need to be told. Not many pledges tell the fraternity president his zipper is open, nor do many new recruits tell the drill sergeant that his breath stinks... its a social status thing magnified by this guang shi or saving face thing. Imagine if one of my above examples did happen , the guy doing it would forever be the Guy who told the sergeant his breath stunk... and while to us in good ol USof A that would be a badge of honor, over their it would be about as welcome as leprosy... apermanent social stigma that they couldnever escape, they would be branded as insubordinate or probably a million other untranslatable words for uppity, arrogant, Knowitall etc. Their society runs on honor/face. it is the glue. it is the grease. it is the material itself.

Your point about the need for regulation is well taken, but when the regulation needs to protect people not from reasonable hazards, but , well their own stupidity (cheapest = highest quality) well, I guess thats why the label on the hair dryer is largerthan the damn hairdryer... (don't use in shower)! Duh.

I believe it is contributor shah that makes the point that other cultures exports might meet their own expectations and norms. that too is a great point.

Regulations needed to enforce our norms are welcome, ie freedom from salmonella in foodstuffs) but need not rise to the prescription of every flippin aspect of tire design, for example, just because one unscrupulous and underfunded importer decided to ignore the facts of his own investigation and continued to import and sell tires that he had evidence were defective. The norms for that are pretty well understood. Criminal negligence. criminal fraud.Greed. Blatant disregard for human safety. disrespect for human life. Callousness. whatever.

No matter what ethical means is used to measure, the tire guys pretty well flunk them all.

Thanks for asking.

milo

Whether they are not in the 21st Century or not, the US and Europe are supposed to be recognizing the ISO 9000, ISO 9004, ISO etc.... policies. Companies are supposed to be outsourcing to those that meet these requirements. Correct? Therefore they need to be in the 21st Century if they want to comply.

China: Another fine example of outsourcing American jobs to make money for the shareholders. Thank your lucky stars that Lobbyist, I mean our elected officials, are looking out for our best interest!

Not being American... nor Chinese, gives me a less "contaminated" perspective of this issue:

First, it would be interesting to know the reason for each recall mentioned in that article: no need to say it is not the same to recall a gas lighter that explodes, than a candy that misses the "Nutritional Info" in the packaging...

On the other hand, I can understand that many "Westerns" are concerned about the growth of Chinese economy, as well as the financial consequences this may have for many "First World" countries in the short time.

..but this does not seem to me as a new story: what happened to the world's economy during the XIX century when England got into the Industrial Revolution producing more for less?

1,000,000 bucks question is: Who created this "monster"?

Did the Chinese get up one day deciding to pulverize the worlds economy?

Or did greedy Western companies transfer their technology to China to start producing for 1 cup of rice a day what they made for 10 bucks/hour?

To believe China only produces junk is completely naive: they happen to manufacture top products as well as junk (as most countries).

It is not only their responsibility to approve a product for an intended use, but also from the authorities of the country into which it is imported to.

There are a lot of ISO / CE certificated Chinese companies... many other have no certification at all (as here, in USA or in Germany).

If you want to buy in China, you can hire a company to audit the quality of what they are selling you... but that costs money, and few are willing to pay for that! (greed... did someone say Greed?)

Each product has an "intrinsic" value: if you get it for MUCH less than that: sorry to say so, but you are probably buying sh**!

But, if you willingly buy sh** be aware of the potential consequences! No consumer can be so stupid to believe that if he pays 1/10th for something he gets top quality!!!

No offense, but who says products manufactured in USA are really good?

Didn't the Challenger explode like a firecracker because of a faulty 10 cents worth O-ring?

Jeep recalled 438,000 Liberty's in 2003 because front wheels felt off in some units.

Same happened the same year when 257,000 Windsor minivans also were recalled cause the rear set dislodged during crashes.

Is this the quality we are talking about?

Like it or not, China is there... and growing steadily!

Ten years ago I read a book called "The Lie or The Trap" (depending on the translation) written by a renowned French economist (can't recall his name right now) , who warned about the risks of "Globalization" this guy predicted what would happen to the world's economy right now... but no one listened at him! Problem was his statements were not fancy enough!

We (citizens / consumers) will not be able to do anything about this: our politicians and economists are those who will have to deal with this establishing new rules of international trade.

Nice post.

If you figure out that book title or author please post.

milo

Hi Milo:

I spent the last days looking for this book at home... but didn´t find it!

We moved into a new house 1 year ago, and still are finding lots of things in the weirdest places!

As soon as I find it I´ll let you know!