------Program code: RC-080707-04258 (what's this?)
Source: CCTV.com
07-07-2008 14:28
China is the toy manufacturing capital of the world. And recently some of the largest toy manufacturing companies have been caught in a string of product recalls. My name is Aurora and you’re watching Rediscovering China. Today we’ll find out what is being done in China to ensure the safety of toys for children across the world.
Whether buying for a child or collecting out of nostalgia, chances are toys will play a part in everyone’s life at some point or another. Toys may be small and fluffy, but the industry certainly is not. Every year, toys rack up 28 billion US dollars in sales! While most toys end up in Europe or the United States, their place of birth is almost always China.
 |
Toys a hazard to children? This is just what the US FDA and Mattel determined of one Barbie model, among other toys that were caught in product recalls. In June of 2007 the investigation was brought to China, as it was the place of manufacturing.
The 3 words ‘Made in China’ seem to be known by most across the world. Even children are aware of this, as it seems where most of their toys come from. Im in the usually sunny state of Florida in the United States, to find out what Americans think about their toys made in China.
 |
In America, the recalls raised doubts and suspicions for Chinese-made toys. Parents worried and Mattel already had thousands of unsafe products stocked on store shelves before the recall was announced. Bonds of trust were being broken from the assembly line right into the living room.
One recalled product just led to the announcement of another. Just how deep did the problem run? In the middle of all this heat, departments on both the US and Chinese sides worked cooperatively in the investigation. Fortunately, faulty products were an exception rather than commonplace.
The company facing the most recalls was Mattel, of which 65% of their annual sales come from products made in China. Mattel has contracts with over fifty manufacturing plants in China, and in the end took full responsibility for the errors found in recalled products.
Although Mattel did acknowledge its faults, US media exposed underlying questions and concerns for problems in the actual toy manufacturing, not just the design.
The Chinese government inspects, supervises and samples all goods to be exported. Exports inspection is a policy rarely practiced in countries outside of China. Exported goods must be checked off and registered by the government before being sent overseas. Toys are just one among many of consumer products routinely examined and supervised.
