Web site offers unsafe-product alerts

Knoweldge is power. As Americans prepare to buy millions of toys and gifts as well as food and drink for feasting for the upcoming holiday seasons, consumers justifiably are concerned about keeping their loved ones safe from tainted products. The tide of unsafe imports rises higher. The recalls, many from China, keep on coming — poisonous pet food, contaminated fish, brightly painted but toxic toys sold by trusted companies. Recently, Wal-Mart recalled toy farm animals, and J.C. Penney recalled Winnie-the-Pooh play sets, all due to lead content. Consumers now have a new one-stop resource available for information about everything from recalls and congressional action involving hazardous products and foods. Consumers Union (CU), the nonprofit publisher of Consumer Reports magazine, recently launched a new Web site which offers news on the latest recalls from the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It also features CU’s recommendations for ensuring that products the U.S. imports and sells are safe. In addition, the Web site provides tips from Consumer Reports on how consumers can keep their homes safe, and includes updates on what Congress and the Administration are doing to make our food supply, toys and other products safer. On a more personal level, the Web site features a “share your story” section where consumers can share their experiences with hazardous food, products and imports so other consumers can learn from their experiences.

“With so much in the news about hazardous imports and unsafe levels of lead in toys, people don’t know how to find safe products and get rid of unsafe ones,” said Donald Mays, senior director of product safety planning for Consumers Union. “People who agree real safeguards need to be enacted can also contact lawmakers to push for strong legislation to mend the hole in the safety net,” added Mays. In recent years, imports have skyrocketed, especially from China. Today, 80 percent of all toys sold in the United States are imported from China. Of all the food Americans consume, 13 percent is imported, and 83 percent of the seafood is imported, yet less than 1 percent is inspected.