teaser
There has been a slight drop in the number of pharmaceutical products which were recalled in the UK last year, according to a new study.
City law firm Reynolds Porter Chamberlain (RPC) said that recalls in the pharmaceuticals category dropped from 35 to 27 in 2007.
The sector bucked the overall trend for product recalls in Britain, which surged to a new high of 190 from 179 in 2006, as problems with goods from China increased.
The consumer goods category – which includes Mattel’s Fisher Price toys – saw the biggest rise to 91 recalls from 73 the previous year, while food and drink recalls also increased from 71 to 74.
RPC partner Mark Kendall said: “We have been warning for years of the risks in uncontrolled outsourcing to China and other developing countries.
“Many companies need the cost savings from outsourcing to China to drive their earnings, but the statistics show that putting in place proper quality-control procedures to protect their customers is easier said than done.”
Mr Kendall warned: “While lessons will have been learned from the Mattel recall, the problem will not be solved over night. We expect to see more of the same.”
Copyright © PA Business 2008
Take part in our prize-draw survey
