China lists substandard Wal-Mart, Carrefour goods

China lists substandard Wal-Mart, Carrefour goods
A shopkeeper, selling Chinese-made toys, talks to a customer at a store in Beijing November 23, 2007. Troubleshooting Vice Premier Wu Yi sat down to top-level talks in China's manufacturing heartland on Friday to try to eliminate loopholes and improve product quality days after a tiff with Europe's trade chief on the issue. (Claro Cortes IV/Reuters)BEIJING (Reuters) - China has published a blacklist ofsubstandard toy jugs and children's shoes sold at Wal-Martstores and drawing pens from French retailer Carrefour in aquality sweep on children's goods sold at Beijing supermarkets.
China has been buffeted by food, drug and other productsafety scares in past months. More than 20 million toys madethere have been recalled worldwide over the past four months.
In response, Beijing has promised to crack down on faultymanufacturers and suppliers, but also said much responsibilitylies with foreign regulators and buyers. It has also made apoint of naming foreign companies it claims also have problemproducts.
A Wal-Mart Stores Inc spokesman, Jonathan Dong, said theblacklist -- which appeared on an official Web site on Thursday-- was more than two months old and the products, made inChina, had long been cleared from the shelves.
Inspectors had also blacklisted children's toys at Wal-Martstores in Beijing for problems regarding parts that could comeoff and cause harm if swallowed, the Beijing Administration forIndustry and Commerce said on its Web site (www.hd315.gov.cn).
The 54-item blacklist also included substandard children'sglasses, toothbrushes, building blocks and bikes with shoddybrakes and handlebars, at a number of Chinese retailers.
"If consumers have bought the substandard goods, with proofof purchase they can request the vendor to recall the goods,"the notice said.
Six children's products stocked at Wal-Mart branches inBeijing had failed to meet standards, the notice said.
Wal-Mart's "Bo bo" brand of "water jugs" had failed plasticintegrity standards, according to the notice.
"Over a long period of use, toxins could accumulate in thebody and cause harm," the notice said.
Wal-Mart spokesman Dong confirmed the blacklist and saidthe retailer had been notified of the quality results. He saidhe was not sure why the notice had appeared on the Web site onThursday.
"I guess they just wanted to be transparent about it," hesaid.
Dong said any versions of the products now on sale had beendeemed safe, but customers with doubts could nonetheless returnthem.
Last week, Wal-Mart was one of 20 companies sued by theCalifornia attorney general and Los Angeles city attorney formanufacturing or selling toys with unlawfully high levels oflead.
Chinese-made Carrefour drawing pens were found withexcessive levels of lead and chromium. A Carrefour spokesmancontacted by phone was unable to provide immediate comment andrequested an e-mail of questions.
The Chinese producer of the bead toys that caused recallsin the United States and Australia has apologized for using atoxic "date-rape" drug and damaging the reputation of themade-in-China label, state media said on Thursday.
Vice Premier Wu Yi arrived in Guangdong on Wednesday for"secret" spot checks on food safety, Hong Kong's South ChinaMorning Post reported.
She heads one of 12 inspection teams that were checkinghundreds of outlets on Thursday, officials were quoted assaying.