EU Consumer Protection Commissioner Meglena Kuneva

Brussels, Nov. 6 (Reuters): Mattel Inc, the world’s largest toymaker, has recalled 155,000 of its products made in Mexico over safety concerns, an official at the company said today.

An official at the EU’s executive arm later confirmed that around 17,000 Mattel items had been recalled in Europe due to concerns that small pieces could detach from the toys and cause children to choke.

Around 7,000 products have been withdrawn in Britain and Ireland, while 4,900 have been recalled in Italy, 4,900 in Germany and 394 in Austria.

“The products concerned are Laugh & Learn and Learning Kitchen Toys, which are part of the Fisher-Price range,” the Mattel official said.

Millions of Chinese-made toys, including some 21 million produced by Mattel, have been recalled worldwide in the last four months due to excessive levels of lead paint and other unsafe components.

Today’s announcement came just a day after the chief executives of major toy companies including Mattel, Hasbro and Hornby met the EU’s consumer chief to discuss the consequences of the widespread recalls.

“My message to industry is very clear — they are going to have to significantly raise their game,” EU Consumer Protection Commissioner Meglena Kuneva said after the latest recall announcement by Mattel.

“This is not the time for ‘business as usual’. They risk, if they do not take action, to lose the trust of Europe’s consumers. That trust has been badly shaken in recent months.”