Over the past several years, there has been a tremendous increase in the number of product recalls throughout Louisiana and across the country. As consumer safety becomes stricter, there has been a nearly 14 percent increase in the number of dangerous products taken off of shelves and returned to manufacturers. With the sheer volume of annual recalls, however, there are concerns that individual consumers are becoming numb to the message.
It is a manufacturer’s job to create products that are safe to use. When they don’t or when there is some kind of problem that arises, a manufacturer must issue a product recall to ensure that the faulty item is either fixed or replaced. If they don’t issue a recall or if they fail to properly communicate one, there is a real risk that a Louisiana consumer could become injured or even die. When this happens, it is often the manufacturer that is held liable.
Last year, there were 2,363 items recalled throughout the year, up from the 2,081 and 1,460 items recalled in 2010 and 2007, respectively. Though the increase in recalls is most likely due to better regulation and testing, it still means that there are a large number of dangerous products in the market. Getting that information out to consumers and to do so in a way that will not overwhelm them can be difficult, but it is the duty of manufacturer’s to do so.
There is evidence that the number of recalls happening every day has driven consumers to the point of not caring. Almost 40 percent of Americans have said that they have never looked for something after it had been recalled. With some of the recalls being for extremely dangerous products, it is essential that manufacturers learn how to better market recalls.
