20 styles recalled from US market
MANILA, Philippines—Don’t let your kids slip their feet into those cute Havaianas flip flops just yet.
The popular brand of casual footwear may contain too much lead that can be harmful for youngsters.
The US Consumer Product Safety Commission issued the warning on Tuesday, leading to the recall of more than 20 styles of the fashionable flip flops from children’s footwear sections of stores in the US.
According to the US CPSC, the styles posed a health hazard as the "decorative paint on the sole of the flip flops can contain levels of lead in excess of federal standards."
Ordered recalled were Havaianas flip flops manufactured by Alpargatas USA Inc. of New York, including the following models: Baby Estampas, Baby Pets, Kids Apple, Kids Fairy, Kids Flores, Kids Lighthouse, Kids Monsters, Kids Surf, Baby Letrinhas, Kids Sports, Kids Candies, Kids Fun, Kids Love, Kids Sereias, Kids Speed, Kids Lucky Bug, Kids Pets, Kids Rock, Kids Slim, Kids Wonder Woman, Kids Small Flowers and Kids Tropical with Kit.
While there have been no reported incidents of poisoning or any related injuries so far, the styles under scrutiny are already being pulled out from the US market. Terry SA, the official local distributor of Havaianas in the Philippines, is exercising the same precaution.
In a telephone interview, Terry SA managing director Anne Gonzalez said on Thursday her company and the Department of Trade and Industry discussed the matter on the same day, and assured Filipino consumers that they would be protected like all the rest.
The purpose of the dialog, she said, was to explain to the DTI how the recall move in the US could affect the local market and what Terry SA would do to safeguard consumer welfare.
"It was a genial dialogue. We just reiterated to them that the case in the US is isolated, and that there have been no reported incidents of injuries," she said. "The DTI just wanted to make sure public welfare is a priority."
Even prior to Thursday’s meeting, Terry SA had already decided to set aside the styles that had been ordered recalled in the US so consumers would no longer be able to buy them, Gonzalez added.
Some of the styles on the US CPSC list, she said, were not even carried by Terry SA and any of its official distributors.
As an added precaution, Gonzalez said Terry SA would be working closely with the DTI when it tests the quality of the flip flops pulled out from the local markets. The company would likewise commission a third-party testing center in Singapore to conduct its own tests on the products, she said.
"We would also be setting up a hotline where consumers can call for more information," she added.
Havaianas flip flops sold in the country are produced in Brazil
Source: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/nation/view/20090305-192526/Havaianas-flip-flops-found-with-lead
The popular brand of casual footwear may contain too much lead that can be harmful for youngsters.
The US Consumer Product Safety Commission issued the warning on Tuesday, leading to the recall of more than 20 styles of the fashionable flip flops from children’s footwear sections of stores in the US.
According to the US CPSC, the styles posed a health hazard as the "decorative paint on the sole of the flip flops can contain levels of lead in excess of federal standards."
Ordered recalled were Havaianas flip flops manufactured by Alpargatas USA Inc. of New York, including the following models: Baby Estampas, Baby Pets, Kids Apple, Kids Fairy, Kids Flores, Kids Lighthouse, Kids Monsters, Kids Surf, Baby Letrinhas, Kids Sports, Kids Candies, Kids Fun, Kids Love, Kids Sereias, Kids Speed, Kids Lucky Bug, Kids Pets, Kids Rock, Kids Slim, Kids Wonder Woman, Kids Small Flowers and Kids Tropical with Kit.
While there have been no reported incidents of poisoning or any related injuries so far, the styles under scrutiny are already being pulled out from the US market. Terry SA, the official local distributor of Havaianas in the Philippines, is exercising the same precaution.
In a telephone interview, Terry SA managing director Anne Gonzalez said on Thursday her company and the Department of Trade and Industry discussed the matter on the same day, and assured Filipino consumers that they would be protected like all the rest.
The purpose of the dialog, she said, was to explain to the DTI how the recall move in the US could affect the local market and what Terry SA would do to safeguard consumer welfare.
"It was a genial dialogue. We just reiterated to them that the case in the US is isolated, and that there have been no reported incidents of injuries," she said. "The DTI just wanted to make sure public welfare is a priority."
Even prior to Thursday’s meeting, Terry SA had already decided to set aside the styles that had been ordered recalled in the US so consumers would no longer be able to buy them, Gonzalez added.
Some of the styles on the US CPSC list, she said, were not even carried by Terry SA and any of its official distributors.
As an added precaution, Gonzalez said Terry SA would be working closely with the DTI when it tests the quality of the flip flops pulled out from the local markets. The company would likewise commission a third-party testing center in Singapore to conduct its own tests on the products, she said.
"We would also be setting up a hotline where consumers can call for more information," she added.
Havaianas flip flops sold in the country are produced in Brazil
Source: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/nation/view/20090305-192526/Havaianas-flip-flops-found-with-lead
