By the end of August, consumers should start to see some changes on the children’s products they buy. Products intended for children aged twelve and under that are manufactured on or after August 14, 2009 will be required to include permanent markings on both the packaging and the item itself. The markings will include information that allows consumers to identify who the manufacturer or private labeler is as well as when and where the product was made.
The labels, mandated by the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) passed last August 2008, are designed to make identification of recalled products easier. While initially presenting a challenge to manufacturers who must create new systems for marking products and tracking label data, lower costs may be realized in the event of a product recall.
The thought is that the labels will 1) help manufacturers narrow down the scope of a recall to a specific, affected batch of products, 2) help retailers to more easily locate and remove items from store shelves and 3) help consumers to quickly know whether or not their version of a product is included in the recall.
WeMakeItSafer is prepared for the new law and has already added a Search by Tracking Label option to its product Recall Search tool and Inventory Checker systems. As children’s products manufactured on or after August 14th begin to make their way to store shelves, this tracking information, including the name of the manufacturer, should be all the information you need to know whether the product has been recalled.
Tracking labels should save you a lot of money in data entry costs! Thanks to the vagueness of CPSC's "guidance," there will be lots fewer products available!
Posted by: Sarah Natividad | July 27, 2009 at 03:30 PM