FAKE RECALLS NEWS - ROLE of CONSUMER PROTECTION AGENCIES

In February 2017, my friend shared a recall news of cans of bumble bee tuna being recalled due to content of human remains. then there was news of pet food imported from Thailand was contaminated with HIV blood and so on. Last year it was glass pieces in Nestle baby cereals. Most of these news are shared over social media and what is shared on social media especially gory contamination of food intended for vulnerable groups travel like wild fire. Not only that, they resurface after going cold for a couple of years.  

Probably distrust on industry and some regulators and limited information on product recall in the media, results in concerned parents to share these kinds of news they receive via social media.

Large companies like Nestle are able to capture fake news and issue statement to correct the situation. pet food traders in Malaysia have never issued any such statements. We do not come across these statements at retail outlets when replenishing our pet food stocks periodically. I know pet food stores have loyalty programmes for their customers and thus would have their contact details etc. How difficult is it to share 'true' recall news among pet owners? I am not sure if smaller producers seek out fake news about their products and make correcting statements. 

Regulators in Malaysia for food and general consumer products are often on fire fighting mode when it comes to product safety. there are very little product safety advisory issued to clearly and efficiently advice consumers in Malaysia about safety issues, recalls and safety incidents.

Consumers take it upon themselves to make use of the little news they get to warn friends and relatives about product safety issues.

The mystandard portal established by the Ministry of Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism (KPDNKK) has failed to ensure that consumers are well informed of recalls of unsafe products. Most of the product recall news were extracted from a Swedish Retailer website last year. Didn't other retailers share such news?

The latest USCPSC recall is the OBALL due to choking hazard when clear plastic outer disk breaks releasing beads. Although the brand may not be sold in Malaysia, KPDNKK should ensure that similar toys do not pose similar risks. they can do that by issuing statement to retailers and manufacturers. These types can be found in Malaysian retail outlets.

Although toys sold in Malaysia requires MC marking which indicates compliance with several toy safety standards, the Ministry also needs to ramp up surveillance or work in collaboration with consumer services organisations to test toys periodically to ensure that toys stay safe.

Besides toys, furniture is another category of general consumer product which needs to be monitors as they have posed safety hazards to consumers among them being : fall (mostly baby chairs), falling drawers (homes and offices), banned chemical use, flammability and so on. Consumers also often complain about unclear warranty terms for expensive furniture (namely seating and bedding). some of these complaints are valued at hundreds of thousands of Ringgit annually - leaving consumers with a short end of the stick of the deal.

The governance of consumer protection must fall on agencies which are highly capable, technically sound and responsive. It is important to understand that hazards and risks are volatile and consumer demands and products offered in the market change and evolve rapidly. We have to appreciate the power of online shopping and how consumers are increasingly taking to online retail , even in Malaysia. 

We need consumer product safety agencies which are competent and capable and get consumers to consult them anytime they doubt or want to  verify the authenticity of the recall news. It can be the food safety and quality department, the road safety department, the energy commission, the water services commission or KPDNKK. they need to be visible in doing their consumer protection job diligently. 

People are friends with friends on social media. It is difficult to expect them to be friend with consumer protection agencies. These agencies need to figure out how to market or make their notifications visible to social media users through various creative tools made available by these social media operators.