Brussels - The European Commission welcomed on Thursday the decision by the world's largest toymaker Mattel to expand its worldwide recall of Chinese-produced toys, citing dangers to health. "Cooperation among producers and authorities is key to product safety, and more vigilance is needed from both sides to live by the rule that no compromises are accepted in this area," Consumer Protection Commissioner Meglena Kuneva said in a statement.
Mattel had warned the Commission on Tuesday that it was planning the worldwide withdrawal of 18.2 million Chinese-made magnetic toys, including items from the Batman and Barbie ranges, and 436,000 models of the character "Sarge" from the Disney-Pixar film "Cars."
The magnetic toys could release their magnets, which could cause potentially fatal intestinal problems if swallowed, the Commission said. The Sarge model contains illegal levels of lead, it added.
It is the second time this month that Mattel has withdrawn toys for safety reasons. On August 1, the company decided to withdraw an estimated 1 million toys produced in China under its Fisher-Price brand, after tests showed illegal levels of lead in their paint.
"While the (Chinese) painting subcontractor, HLD, was required to utilize paint supplied directly from (contractor) Early Light, it instead violated Mattel's standards and utilized paint from a non-authorized third-party supplier," Mattel said in a press release.
And the move follows Mattel's withdrawal in November 2006 of eight types of magnetic toy, which were also judged to have insufficient mechanisms in place to prevent magnet release.
The current recall of magnetic toys arose from the heightened quality checks put in place after the November recall, Mattel said.
"Since our November 2006 magnet-related recall, we have implemented more robust magnet retention systems and more rigorous testing," pointed out Jim Walter, Mattel's senior vice president of Worldwide Quality Assurance.
The European Commission praised Mattel's voluntary recall of the suspect products, saying that the company "acted responsibly" in launching the move.
But the series of recalls is likely to be seen as a blow both to the company and to the reputation of Chinese manufacturers.
A series of scandals involving the export to the EU and US of contaminated Chinese products, including pet food and toothpaste, has erupted in recent months, leading some to question the reliability of Chinese manufacturing and export controls.
On Saturday, the co-owner of a Chinese toymaker killed himself after his products were included in the Fisher-Price recall.
In July, China executed the former head of its state food and drug administration. He reportedly took bribes from companies to certify drugs that were not fully tested.
