Report: Product safety system needs overhaul
22 November 2007
Despite recent action that has seen more than 750 toymakers banned from exporting after failing to meet product safety standards, China's safety system still requires a swift overhaul, according to a European Commission report. The report, published on Thursday, found that in 25% of cases the makers of dangerous toys could not be traced due to poor record-keeping. "As with food, we have to be able to find out where these goods originate to tackle the problem at source," it said. The review followed a series of high-profile product recalls, notably by US toymaker Mattel, the Financial Times reported. In October, EU governments found a record 187 dangerous products in tests, 69% of which came from China. Beijing has responded by investigating 184 cases between July and September, compared with just 84 in the previous 12 months. Exports were halted in a third of the cases.