Can you trust Chinese-made products?

In the late 1950s, Mao Zedong sought to make China an industrial power by encouraging peasants to ignore their farms and build backyard iron smelters. The nationwide project was an abject failure, and a cause of a major famine. Nearly fifty years later, China has become an industrial powerhouse beyond Mao's wildest dreams. But that success is now threatened by an ever-growing list of safety problems with Chinese-made products. First it was pet food contaminated with melamine. Then toothpaste containing diethylene glycol. Two weeks ago: a huge recall on Thomas & Friends toys coated with lead paint. Earlier this week, we learned about unsafe tires that need to be recalled. Can we no longer trust products made in China? 

Here are some startling statistics: The number of Chinese-made products that are being recalled in the U.S. has doubled in the last five years, helping to drive the total number of recalls in this country to an annual record of 467 last year. Chinese-made products account for 60 percent of all consumer-product recalls, and 100 percent of all 24 kinds of toys recalled so far this year. Even China’s own government auditing agency found that 20 percent of the toys made and sold in China had safety hazards. 

As consumer products companies continue to move their manufacturing from the U.S. to contract factories overseas, we shouldn't be surprised by an increase in recalls of foreign-made goods; in some ways, it's simply a reflection of the growth of such products in the overall market. And we've Rated many products made in China and other developing countries as highly as those produced domestically. Still, we need to keep unsafe goods from crossing our borders and hold manufacturers more accountable for producing unsafe goods in the first place. 

Our government safety agencies, including the Consumer Product Safety Commission and Food and Drug Administration, are woefully underfunded and understaffed to stop substandard goods from entering our country. Consumers Union has been advocating for beefing up the resources for these agencies so that they can be more effective in protecting consumer safety. However, even if that happens, we need to place more responsibility for product safety on those U.S.-based companies that import, distribute, and sell products. 

If laws would allow government watchdog agencies to levy large civil penalties against all parties in the supply chain, it would change the way businesses operate. To protect themselves, importers would require thorough testing of the products they source and insist on independent safety certifications. They would also develop quality assurance programs that would ensure that products are produced according to good manufacturing practices and meet quality and safety standards. Quality assurance would need to become an on-going practice with pre-shipment testing and inspections conducted regularly by independent laboratories. 

The quality assurance process for foreign-sourced goods can be a very effective tool for protecting importers — and consumers. I’ve personally witnessed the success of this process in Chinese factories that were producing products for one of this country’s largest retailers. Any product with a critical defect — lead paint, faulty wiring, etc. — would result in a rejected shipment. You can bet that manufacturer was careful about testing its products before they were ever loaded onto a container-ship. 

But the retailer’s mantra of speed-to-market leaves precious little time for the testing and inspection processes once products are manufactured. Testing and inspection companies are often rushed to get their job done and comprehensive testing may not be practical. Large retailers also squeeze manufacturers to cut pricing, pushing them to cut corners. The power and efficiency of major retailers often has unintended consequences, jeopardizing consumer safety. Increasing their responsibility and accountability will force them to take a more proactive approach to product safety. (Consumers, long accustomed to paying ever-lower prices for almost all goods, may also need to acknowledge that there are some things — like safer products — worth paying a little more for.) 

As an added deterrent to bringing unsafe products to the market, the principals of companies who knowingly import, distribute or sell unsafe products, should be subject to criminal penalties. Last year, I testified to the Senate Judiciary Committee on this issue.   

The Chinese government also needs to play a role, particularly in reforming corrupt practices that often lead to inspectors and other officials turning a blind eye to infractions and irregularities (though we're not sure China's recent decision to execute the former head of the country's equivalent to the FDA for taking bribes is quite the direction we would take). However, our focus needs to remain on changes we can make by working with U.S. regulators and the domestic manufacturers, importers and retailers responsible for bringing Chinese-made products into this country. 

This issue is coming under closer scrutiny by some policymakers and the media. Hopefully, this will bring about change. In the meantime, you can keep on top of product recalls and sign up for recall notices and safety alerts at www.recalls.gov. And should you find an unsafe product, you can help protect other consumers by reporting it to the appropriate government agency as well as to us. 

— Don Mays

Comments

[Jon Eaton]

Quality and safety issues aside (which I find universally dismal), why isn't the energy consumed moving these products on the front page of the global warming issue?

[Dr Tom Grant]

The turning of American commercial production to China was assailed many years ago by unions and the like as a defection of trust in the American worker. Corporate profiteers were classed as "money grubbers", willing to sell our domestic workers down the river for a buck. The truth is that our current dependance on China labor is a result of over-pricing of the labor pool we have created. If we think that in China and elsewhere they have limited engineering skills, you would be sadly mistaken. They do have very high quality design and eningeering skills. A recent product I invented cost me literally 1/10th the cost to design, engineer and produce, saving me hundreds of thousands of dollars and I got a superior design to what I was being offered stateside, but "I" had to approve the quality, the content and materials prior to production. That this articles reported "defects" came out of China is not an isolated Chinese fault. The companies who placed the orders for these products had to deliberately ignore or intentionally request these inferior designs or materials used/received. Whether they did not perform thorough inspection of the Chinese suppliers capacity or they just said "skip the QC, just make and deliver the product in time to meet my marketing deadline" or they simply didn't care enough to get the details of their supplier's capacity remains for the investigators to sort through. In my experience, "Made in China", I had to make the decision as to what, when, how and why I authorized and receievd EXACTLY what "I" ordered. Blame the USA manufacturers, not the China supply chain for the increase in recalls that are being reported. China delivers EXACTLY the quality WE approve. We get what WE pay for. By demanding cheaper and cheaper consumables, we shouldn't expect to not get burned by the cost cutting measures WE have demanded from our vendors of choice. When we use our MONEY voting power by demanding quality and our willingness to pay for it, then and only then will these recalls begin to dissappear, rather than accelerate in frequency.

[Mani Nease]

What bothers me most is how long it took the lead paint to be discovered, I cannot believe it has been going on since 2005??? I agree something more needs to be done to stop this from even occurring, I am disgusted with the overwhelming number of big corporations going to China making cheap, sub-par, and even dangerous products, so the “top dogs” can stuff their pockets to overflowing, instead of investing in their own country and fellow citizens. We need new trade policies concerning China, as well as penalties to companies that go outside of the country to manufacture their products instead of keeping them at home. I realize it's more expensive for these corporations in the US, but I also know CEO’s are making a ridiculous salary in comparison to your average worker, the gap has grown so far out of proportion in the last 20 years, which really is essential in keeping this cycle in motion (i.e., less jobs, less money, less power, can only pay for a sub-par product). I often feel like I am living under the rule of a fascist government. Regardless, of my feeling, how do you really attack such a large and self-perpetuating problem, such as this, as an individual I try to only buy things made in the USA and Europe, but it isn't always easy, and it is definitely more expensive; I write letters to my policy makers, sign petitions, make phone calls, but it hardly seems enough. The ship is sinking.

[ROBERT Dixon]

HUMAN BEINGS ARE HUMAN BEINGS. SOME MAKE ERRORS AND SOME ARE DISHONEST-SO WHAT'S NEW MR WONG?

MY QUESTION TO YOU WOULD BE; WHAT ECONOMIC MODEL WOULD YOU SUGGEST WE USE TO REPLACE THE PROFIT MOTIVE--AND HOW WOULD YOU ENSURE IT WOULD BE BETTER THAN WHAT WE HAVE/

[Wendell Kirk]

I am somewhat surprised at the attitude of the USA Government's lack of action on Chinese-made products.
At the blink of an eye they put a ban on Canadian beef and we are the USA's
best friend & biggest buyer of USA made products. Come on guys get with it.

[Catherine R.]

My husband and I are also making an effort not to buy food products from China due to the many concerns we have about the quality and safety of their products. Whether it's pet food, toothpaste, toys, or the bird flu, we are regularly reading stories about safety issues with Chinese products. As dog owners we lived through the pet food recall but now we are particularly concerned with apple juice. I'm sure most parents with young children know, apple juice is a staple in most young diets. We have a four year old who drinks apple juice regularly. We recently discovered that almost every apple juice container reads "a product of China". We literally look at every bottle and avoid those that reference China. It is very difficult to find apple juice that is not a product of China which is perplexing since we know apples are grown in the United States. Mr. Mays, thank you for your very informative article and please help us find safe juice for our kids.

[Annonymous]

This all reads like anti-Chinese, pro-American product endorsement at first glance.

HOWEVER, I do tend to agree, some of the recent products I have purchased are less than satisfactory in quality. All of the products I have had trouble with and had to return were from China.

I really don't like generalizing, as it feeds into availability-bias but, I do agree that I also have a perception that China is producing inferior merchandise.

[Roy Major]

Often we strain out gnats and swallow camels. I would like for CU or somebody who is really concerned about the health and safety of every living thing on earth do a study on the different kinds of energy used and being developed outlining the safety of each one and its impact on the future of life on earth.

[Gil Roybal]

China is undermining our economy. And also taking away our jobs. We are becoming a service economy. How many janitors and fast food workers can we employ?

[consume smarter]

IT IS THE FAULT of the corporations (example: Wal-Mart) that contract to manufacture and purchase these "cheaper" products from China so that THEY (the corporations) can have a HIGHER PROFIT MARGIN. DO YOU KNOW HOW WEALTHY the Wal-Mart family is? They are not getting these cheaper products to "consumers" for our sake - they are trying to sell as many of these cheap, but high profit margin, products to add to their bottom line and their own personal wealth. IT IS called GREED. Stop shopping at the Wal-Marts or the dollar stores, because if they don't sell these dangerous, but cheap, goods, they will start paying attention to the quality - not quantity.

[Audrey A. Holland]

I am so sick and tired of seeing "Made in China" on everything I buy, including clothing, goods and food. I dare say there is hardly anything for sale in the U.S. that is not made in China. If I see a product, etc. saying "Made in USA," I am overjoyed (and surprised), but these things are few and far between. I am almost 74 years old and have never seen anything like this Made in China monopoly. I am not sure how others feel about this, but I doubt I am the only one. God help us all!

[D. Wong]

This is nothing new. Some of us are old enough to remember the Ford Pinto fiasco. The same thing, profit, is driving this irresponsibly corporate behavior.

[Eva Wilford]

I am making a determined effort not to buy any food products (for humans and animals) made in China. I am quite convinced that Chinese manufacturers cut corners any way they can and I don't believe that the US retailers or distributors who bring these goods into the country check for quality.

I also no longer buy from stores like the Christmas Tree shop and some catalogues. They steal designs from artisans and artists and have them mass produced in China. I realize that the Chinese have to earn a living, but I don't think it should be at the expense of creative artists.

[ramon]

I had the opportunity to work with Chinese cosmetic product providers and frankly after a couple of visits, I decided to buy local products even if they are more expensive. No need to explain what we found out.

For any company, the economical and emotional stress of recalling a product (toothpaste, tires, pet food, etc.) is to much specially, if people die.

To the consumer: better check where your product are made specially if you are going to eat them, or used them on your body. The toothpaste, fish and pet food scare are just a the tip of the iceberg.

All products have alternatives. If not American, you can buy from other countries or regions.(Canada, Mexico, Europe, Central America, Australia, etc).

Greetings from sunny Barcelona

Ramon

[Grace]

Amen to everything you say. However, I would like to object a bit when told that consumers are also at fault for wanting ever cheaper products. I can only speak for myself, but I would be happy to pay a premium for goods that I know are safe and I know have been produced by people in a safe workplace. A rock bottom price tells me someone made a product under near-slavery conditions and I should not expect much in the way of quality control. However, a higher price is still no indication of better pay, working conditions, or product safety, because it may just mean that the business owner is taking a higher profit. Also, we are constantly told that Americans "prefer" imported goods. That this is not true is shown by the proud display of the American flag and "USA made" on any product that is still produced in this country. In many cases, the only products available for purchase are imports.

[Trong LePhuoc]

I think we should take a look at the success of organic farming in China, in particular, Woodstock Farms. They have 5,000+ acres of farmland that grows organic vegetables and fruits. These farms and the end products are not only certified by a third party, but they are also monitored and tested from planting to packaging the end products.

The problem with products made in China, is that there are no regulations and standards. The Chinese government and private industries should look at the success of the organic industries and learn from it.

[m jean]

i want to have the country posted on the products
in which they are made.i dont want to buy chinese
any thing !! the more i read the more i find that is made in china .i am not a person of means but i would pay for my familys health now not later. if its going into our bodys it should be made here are at lest not in a 3rd world country.

[lp]

I now look carefully at every label for food and other items to make sure that it is not made in China, and I've been buying wild caught fish and organic grains. Sadly not all of us can afford to do this, and we will all pay the price of outsourcing policies by US corporations in their ever ending search for higher profits--a concept not in and of itself wrong unless it involves disregard for the health of the consumer. The social costs of more illness and cancer from the ocnsumption of products containing carcinogens and antibiotics is difficult, if not impossible to quantify. Corporations need to do a cost benefit analysis and seriously consider the consequences of mass tort liability as well as the costs of losing goodwill and business due to the use of tainted grain products and seafood. The best way to make sure that China changes its capitalist philosophy of profit before health and morality is to refuse to buy their products and look for alternative sources. I am just one consumer, but I will not buy anything made in China in the short term, and I will not buy products from US companies that utilize, import or sell such products. I know I am not alone in this. It's a concern shared by just about everyone who has focused on the issue--and it is surprising how many consumers are doing something about it by refusing to buy these products.

[Darin Barrows]

So the so called agencies that are around to protect we the people are understaffed and underfunded? Well I'm no rocket scientist, but why the hell then doesn't the government staff them more and fund them more? I'll tell you why. Because the government DOESN'T care about the people! It's true and it's ALWAYS been that way! We the people need to stand up and start taking back what they've stolen from us, OUR POWER as a people. We need to realize that we can NEVER, EVER trust them or to do what's in our best interest. We need less government and more programs that benefit us, not them. And lets be aware that the elite bankers and globalists dictate things anyways, here and abroad. Until the realization that a "secret, powerful shadow government" runs the world, these things and much, much worse will continue to happen. Perpetual war (mass murder), will continue to reign around the globe and take millions of lives with it, debt accumulation will grow and grow, currencies will be extinct, sovereign nations will merge (EU, North American Union (not yet, but in the works), further turning the world into a one world government that is controlled by the elites. What we need to do as a people is start a global revolution against OUR own governments, as well as the elites of the world. As Edmund Burke said, " The only way for evil to triumph is for all good men to do nothing."