”MADE IN CHINA” Ping.
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Posted on 11/29/2007 12:24:15 AM PST by TigerLikesRooster
China lists substandard Wal-Mart, Carrefour goods
1 hour, 8 minutes ago
China has published a blacklist of substandard toy jugs and children's shoes sold at Wal-Mart stores and drawing pens from French retailer Carrefour in a quality sweep on children's goods sold at Beijing supermarkets.
China has been buffeted by food, drug and other product safety scares in past months. More than 20 million toys made there have been recalled worldwide over the past four months.
In response, Beijing has promised to crack down on faulty manufacturers and suppliers, but also said much responsibility lies with foreign regulators and buyers. It has also made a point of naming foreign companies it claims also have problem products.
A Wal-Mart Stores Inc spokesman, Jonathan Dong, said the blacklist -- which appeared on an official Web site on Thursday -- was more than two months old and the products, made in China, had long been cleared from the shelves.
Inspectors had also blacklisted children's toys at Wal-Mart stores in Beijing for problems regarding parts that could come off and cause harm if swallowed, the Beijing Administration for Industry and Commerce said on its Web site (www.hd315.gov.cn).
The 54-item blacklist also included substandard children's glasses, toothbrushes, building blocks and bikes with shoddy brakes and handlebars, at a number of Chinese retailers.
"If consumers have bought the substandard goods, with proof of purchase they can request the vendor to recall the goods," the notice said.
Six children's products stocked at Wal-Mart branches in Beijing had failed to meet standards, the notice said.
Wal-Mart's "Bo bo" brand of "water jugs" had failed plastic integrity standards, according to the notice.
"Over a long period of use, toxins could accumulate in the body and cause harm," the notice said.
Wal-Mart spokesman Dong confirmed the blacklist and said the retailer had been notified of the quality results. He said he was not sure why the notice had appeared on the Web site on Thursday.
"I guess they just wanted to be transparent about it," he said.
Dong said any versions of the products now on sale had been deemed safe, but customers with doubts could nonetheless return them.
Last week, Wal-Mart was one of 20 companies sued by the California attorney general and Los Angeles city attorney for manufacturing or selling toys with unlawfully high levels of lead.
Chinese-made Carrefour drawing pens were found with excessive levels of lead and chromium. A Carrefour spokesman contacted by phone was unable to provide immediate comment and requested an e-mail of questions.
The Chinese producer of the bead toys that caused recalls in the United States and Australia has apologized for using a toxic "date-rape" drug and damaging the reputation of the made-in-China label, state media said on Thursday.
Vice Premier Wu Yi arrived in Guangdong on Wednesday for "secret" spot checks on food safety, Hong Kong's South China Morning Post reported.
She heads one of 12 inspection teams that were checking hundreds of outlets on Thursday, officials were quoted as saying.
Ping!
Damaging the reputation of the made-in-China label?
Hell, I expect them to start exporting Yugos anyday now! Their reputation can't get much lower.
I still get the feeling that the Chinese have no idea how badly their brand is, and is being damaged.
Empty promises for safety by China, but scandals just keep coming and coming. Never trust Communists.
How can you damage a brand that wasn’t good in the first place? LOL
Pardon me. I assume that goodwill (in the economic sense) begins at a level greater than zero. You are correct.
None of this matters until some giant multinational gets class-action sued and loses. The bean counters in charge of “American” companies will look at unit PRICE until the COST becomes too great and is noticed by their boards.
The bad news is most of the tooling to make these items no longer exists in the US.
“China has published a blacklist of substandard toy jugs and children’s shoes sold at Wal-Mart stores and drawing pens from French retailer Carrefour”
I get the impression that China only identified substandard items if they were made in a country other than China? No where does it clearly say that these substandard items are made in China.
A hydraulic press brake in every pot! That's what I say.
China should tread lightly, if they are going to attack Walmart.
If they PO Walmart, they could lose 50-70% of their US sales.
In the late 80s when Walmart was having some financial difficulty, they started a ‘Made In America’ pitch that was very successful in helping them revamp their bottom line.
A Walmart ‘made in America, not in China’ could create a real hurt on China’s exports.
Nice, so how many people have kept the receipts so that they can get full refunds?
ping
Johnny Dong, HAaaaaaaaa
I thought he died?
Oh, that was the other John.
Dollar General will be offering these at a steep discount this year. They got a real deal on them.
Most of Walmart’s and Carrefour’s Chinese stores carry mainly (perhaps 99%) products that are made in China - with a separate expat section of imported products (Tabasco Sauce, Swiss Miss, etc) that cost twice what they do stateside, thanks to 100% Chinese tariffs. The announced substandard products are likely made in China as well.
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