Mattel recalls more toys due to lead risk

Toy manufacturer Mattel is recalling a further 12,000 toys in the UK and Ireland due to excessive levels of lead found in the paint. The beleaguered company has been forced to recall millions of toys in recent months because of fears over their safety.

The latest recall affects the Fisher Price-branded Go Diego Go Animal Rescue Boat toys. It is the fourth time the company has had to recall toys in the last six months.

The move follows the withdrawal of almost 21 million potentially harmful products earlier this year. However, Mattel took the unprecedented step of apologising to China last month after admitting some of the recalls were unnecessary (marketingweek.co.uk September 24).

Mattel revealed that some of the recalled products contained levels of lead that were 180 times more than the legal limit in a letter to the US congressional subcommittee.

The recall also prompted EU consumer commissioner Meglena Kuneva to launch a two-month review of existing product checks and warn that tougher measures will follow.