The news this past year was filled with stories of deadly dog food and lead covered toys which caused staggering product recalls and increasing concern for the quality of the products imported from overseas. Blame was placed up and down the supply chain but it remains unclear as to who ultimately is responsible for the quality of a product.

The controlling body in the United States is the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. According to their site, they are…

“…an independent federal regulatory agency that was created in 1972 by Congress in the Consumer Product Safety Act. In that law, Congress directed the Commission to “protect the public against unreasonable risks of injuries and deaths associated with consumer products.”

We have jurisdiction over about 15,000 types of consumer products, from automatic-drip coffee makers to toys to lawn mowers. Some types of products, however, are covered by other federal agencies. For example, cars, trucks and motorcycles are covered by the Department of Transportation; foods, drugs and cosmetics are covered by the Food and Drug Administration; and alcohol, tobacco and firearms are within the jurisdiction of the Department of the Treasury.

The U.S. CPSC chairwoman, Nancy Nord, recently put the smack down on the entire toy industry while addressing an audience at the American International Toy Fair, which remains the most important toy show in the America’s.

I will not tolerate this industry…not complying with our regulations.

Very strong words for an industry that is responsible for over US$22 billion in the sale of toys in 2007. It is worth noting that this figure is only 2% less than 2006 despite the massive recalls.

It is also worth noting that while these issues were splashed all over the press this past year, we are actually only seeing a small percentage of the overall problem. The U.S. CPSC site lists over 30 toy recalls for this year and its only February 19th!

While quality control is difficult to manage throughout the world and each industry and specific product category, who is ultimately responsible? It is the buyer / importer.

The buyer needs to first fully understand what country-specific standards are in place before sourcing the product to insure the manufacturer can actually meet these requirements. Once selected, the manufacturer must be forced to comply with these standards throughout the life of the contract.

Yes, there is a great degree of trust between the buyer and the supplier but if the supplier slips it is the buyer’s fault as he must drive, manage and maintain product quality or suffer the consequences.

To protect himself, he can rely upon companies such as Bureau Veritas for factory audits, supplier certification and product testing as well as global insurance companies that provide product liability insurance.