A backlash?
It could become the Christmas of no toys. No toys from China, that is. As Mattel expands toy safety recalls and adds new ones, some parents and grandparents are already figuring this out. They're heading for the toy store now so they can have their pick of the remaining toys. If they delay, all the good stuff may be gone before the holidays, which are only four months away.
Meanwhile, the New York Times reported Wednesday that some China-made vinyl baby bibs sold at Toys R Us stores may be contaminated with lead.
We have no doubt that Mattel et al will shake up their Chinese contractors and force correction of these problems in a hurry. But what will be next? With one unsafe product after another coming out of China, Americans have to do something to protect themselves. Many are already refusing to buy Chinese products ... if, that is, they can determine where the product came from.
It's enough to start a national backlash against the globalized economy -- but it likely won't be enough to derail it. Businesses have gotten used to their higher profits and won't give them up easily, even if lawsuits and recalls put a sizeable dent in them.
Still, we see a potential opening now for American entrepreneurs. They may not be able to manufacture toys as cheaply as the Chinese, but they still have their reputations. An innovative toy, made in the USA and guaranteed to be safe for the kids, could become a hit.
In the same way, if a local store specialized in products made or grown in the USA and advertised accordingly, we expect that its customer base would triple overnight. People don't like the hassle of checking labels, or worse still, trying to determine which items lacking a country-of-origin label are safe to consume. A department store called 'Only in America' or even 'Anywhere but China' could be a huge hit.
Perhaps sensing the same opening, the Ohio Department of Agriculture is preparing a major push of Ohio-grown foods. The Columbus Dispatch reported last week that the ODA is starting a new marketing campaign that will include a revival of the 'Ohio Proud' brand, promoting farmers' markets and selling Ohio-made items in vending machines and college and prison cafeterias.
No doubt the day will come when Chinese products can be trusted. We still recall the 1950s and 60s, when a 'Made in Japan' label indicated that a product was 'cheap junk.' For several decades now, the opposite has been true.
But China's culture has a long way to go before it can be relied upon to put out products without cheating. Toys aside, it's not a comfortable situation for this country to be dependent for food on a mostly backward and dishonest populace governed by a secretive, semi-hostile regime. We should be concerned, for example, that China has a world monopoly on ascorbic acid (Vitamin C), which is an ingredient in thousands of processed foods. China is our chief foreign supplier of seafood, too, though it's known to raise fish in feces-contaminated water and then use antibiotics and pesticides to compensate.
Widespread consumer backlash could go a long way toward rectifying this situation. We may have to pay more for safe food and safe toys -- but most Americans would rather be healthy than a few cents richer.
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