CPSC announces new recall notification program at Target

The Consumer Product Safety Commission today announced a new in-store recall notification system that is being rolled out at Target stores.  In an improvement over burying recall notices on store bulletin boards, Target will now display posters throughout their stores directing shoppers to a kiosk that can be used to find product recall information. Shoppers will be able to research recalls at the kiosks as well as make printouts of recall notices. (Shoppers can already do this at Target's Web site.)

According to the CPSC, this is a part of its effort to enhance recall effectiveness. The CPSC's "Drive to 1 Million" campaign  that strives to get at least one million consumers to sign up for the agency's automatic recall notifications via e-mail, has leveled out at only one-quarter million. The CPSC is looking at other ways to work with retailers and get the word out about recalls including using in-store videos, printing information on sales receipts, and using credit card information to contact consumers who have purchased a product that is later recalled.

We think this is a step in the right direction. Most responses to recalls are very low, leaving many hazardous products still in the homes of unsuspecting consumers. But alerting store shoppers to recalls might be more effective if that information appeared on video screens at the checkout counters rather than at a kiosk located in the customer service department. An even more effective system would be to directly notify consumers in the same way they are notified by mail if their car has been recalled. Many online retailers and catalog houses already have such customer notification systems in place. As a part of its new program, Target credit card holders will also be notified directly if they purchased a product that was later recalled.

With more than 43 million products recalled during CPSC's last fiscal year, it's important to make sure the products in your home aren't among them. We encourage you to sign up for automatic recall notifications at the CPSC's Web site.—Don Mays