The recall process for children’s toys and products needs to improve, Kids In Danger, an organization working on product safety, says as it releases two new reports looking to better assess recall effectiveness.
The first report, “Recall Reality: Are They Failing our Children?,” examines trends on the effectiveness of children’s product recalls issued by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Following a product recall, all recalling companies are required to agree to a Corrective Action Plan or CAP. This includes any remedial actions taken to mitigate the potential hazard, including outreach, remedy, and destruction of recalled products.
KID’s new report looked at monthly progress reports required by the CPSC to track the recall process and progress of the CAPs.
The key findings of the report include:
- Compared to prior years, there was an increase in sufficient CAP reports for analysis. There were 36 percent sufficient reports in 2022, almost four times the amount of sufficient reports for the first year CAP report data were looked at (2016). This is more than a third of recalls required to submit information. Manufacturers are allowed to redact information from CAP reports, which limits information available to the public.
- Companies using a section of the Consumer Product Safety Act to block release of their recall reports to the public have something to hide: They had the highest average per recall of incidents reported prior to the recall and also had the highest average number of recalled units per product.
- On average, only 22 percent of recalled children’s products that were with the consumer were successfully recalled.
In a companion report, KID also reviewed survey data on consumer attitudes towards recalls and their response to recall notices. The survey responses, gathered from parents and caregivers, reveal critical gaps in the current children’s product recall process.
The key findings from KID’s survey include:
- Safety is the most prominent motivation to participate in recalls and time and effort are the main reasons for not participating in a recall.
- When the recall remedy offered for a recalled product was only a repair, rather than a full refund or new product, customers reported a lower experience for the recall overall and were less likely to tell others about the recall.
“Parents and caregivers need a more robust recall process that prioritizes the safety of children above all else,” Dev Gowda, deputy director of KID, said in a statement. “Our reports highlight the need for changes to how recalls are communicated and managed as well as more data to evaluate recall effectiveness. Implementing these recommendations will prevent dangerous products from remaining in homes and childcare facilities, ultimately protecting children from harm.
“The newest report and survey results from Kids In Danger (KID) emphasize that more must be done to ensure the safety of children’s products. Consumers deserve to know that the products they purchase for themselves and for their kids are safe,” Gowda said.
Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Innovation, Data, and Commerce, which has authority over consumer protection issues, said her bills, the Sunshine in Product Safety Act and Consumer Advocacy and Protection Act, would give the CPSC the power to repeal Section 6(b) and hold companies who market dangerous products accountable.
“Further, we need to robustly fund the CPSC, which is working hard to protect our kids,” Schakowsky said in a statement. “With how much money companies spend on advertising; they should have no problem devoting additional funding to alerting consumers when a hazardous product has been recalled.”
KID’s recommendations for improvements to the children’s product recall process are:
- Companies should offer more comprehensive remedies, such as refunds or replacement products rather than just repairs or discounts.
- Manufacturers and the CPSC need to increase outreach and communication of recalls in as many ways as possible and consider incentives to participate.
- Policymakers should pass the Sunshine in Product Safety Act to repeal Section 6(b) of the Consumer Product Safety Act to prevent companies from hiding or delaying information about their dangerous products.
KID urges manufacturers, regulatory bodies, and other stakeholders to consider these findings and take action to improve the recall process, the organization said in a statement.
