Mr. Pampered Chef
- 163
Dear Consultant:
I have news to share with you regarding three fall 2008 products, the Holiday Spreader (#2809), the Holiday Serving Plate (#2807) and the Holiday Appetizer Plates (#2808).
We have decided to withdraw these products from distribution to address product quality issues. Only the Holiday Spreader has been shipped to Canada. Effective immediately, these products will be placed on “stop sell.” This means do not show or sell these products until further notice.
Holiday Spreader
As part of our commitment to quality, we require our suppliers to meet all applicable Canadian standards. We also require our suppliers to conduct testing prior to shipment to ensure we meet all standards. Our supplier provided us with certifications from independent testing facilities indicating that the Holiday Spreader manufactured in China met the Canadian lead limitations. However, as part of our quality assurance process, we also conducted additional independent testing on random samples which indicates that at least some of the products contain excess levels of lead, violating the Canadian lead standard.
Given these circumstances, please do not continue to use the product and we are voluntarily withdrawing this product. We will take the following steps:
1) If you received the Holiday Spreader (#2809) as part of the Director Benefit Kit, the June Sell-A-Thon or as part of a sample order, we will issue a UPS call tag so that the product can be returned to us free of charge. You will receive a separate email before the end of the month identifying the time frame in which you can expect UPS to pick up the products.
2) If you submitted a sample order for the spreaders that hasn’t shipped, your order will be on backorder. The backorders will be filled when we have acceptable product in stock.
It’s important for you to know that the handles of the Spreader are sealed with polyurethane. Exposure to the lead paint on the handle could result if the coating wears off. Lastly, please note that we have alerted Health Canada of this issue and are updating them of the status of the product withdrawal.
Holiday Plates
While the Holiday Serving Plate (#2807) and the Holiday Appetizer Plates (#2808) meet Canadian lead limitations as well as our quality standards, we recently determined that these products do not comply with California’s Proposition 65 requirements, applicable in California, United States. Although Proposition 65 does not prevent the sale or use of these products, it does require strong warnings to be placed on products sold to or used by California consumers that exceed certain low levels of lead and other listed chemicals.
While our supplier provided us with certifications from independent testing facilities indicating that the above products meet the California lead limitations, we conducted additional independent testing on random samples which indicates at least some of these products contain lead at levels that exceed California’s warning threshold for lead.
Although the California law would not apply to products sold or used in Canada, we want to ensure that all our products meet our quality guidelines for products sold in North America. As such, our products should comply with California’s requirements. We know that you and your customers have come to expect the highest quality standards from The Pampered Chef.
Given the situation with the holiday plates, we will take the following actions:
1) If you submitted a sample order for the plates, your order for these products will be on backorder. The backorders will be filled when we have acceptable plates in stock.
I know this is disappointing news, be assured we are doing everything we can to rectify it. We are working with our supplier to determine how long it will take to rebuild our stock with product that meet all applicable standards as well as our quality standards. We will provide you with an update on the status of these products the week of September 15.
I have news to share with you regarding three fall 2008 products, the Holiday Spreader (#2809), the Holiday Serving Plate (#2807) and the Holiday Appetizer Plates (#2808).
We have decided to withdraw these products from distribution to address product quality issues. Only the Holiday Spreader has been shipped to Canada. Effective immediately, these products will be placed on “stop sell.” This means do not show or sell these products until further notice.
Holiday Spreader
As part of our commitment to quality, we require our suppliers to meet all applicable Canadian standards. We also require our suppliers to conduct testing prior to shipment to ensure we meet all standards. Our supplier provided us with certifications from independent testing facilities indicating that the Holiday Spreader manufactured in China met the Canadian lead limitations. However, as part of our quality assurance process, we also conducted additional independent testing on random samples which indicates that at least some of the products contain excess levels of lead, violating the Canadian lead standard.
Given these circumstances, please do not continue to use the product and we are voluntarily withdrawing this product. We will take the following steps:
1) If you received the Holiday Spreader (#2809) as part of the Director Benefit Kit, the June Sell-A-Thon or as part of a sample order, we will issue a UPS call tag so that the product can be returned to us free of charge. You will receive a separate email before the end of the month identifying the time frame in which you can expect UPS to pick up the products.
2) If you submitted a sample order for the spreaders that hasn’t shipped, your order will be on backorder. The backorders will be filled when we have acceptable product in stock.
It’s important for you to know that the handles of the Spreader are sealed with polyurethane. Exposure to the lead paint on the handle could result if the coating wears off. Lastly, please note that we have alerted Health Canada of this issue and are updating them of the status of the product withdrawal.
Holiday Plates
While the Holiday Serving Plate (#2807) and the Holiday Appetizer Plates (#2808) meet Canadian lead limitations as well as our quality standards, we recently determined that these products do not comply with California’s Proposition 65 requirements, applicable in California, United States. Although Proposition 65 does not prevent the sale or use of these products, it does require strong warnings to be placed on products sold to or used by California consumers that exceed certain low levels of lead and other listed chemicals.
While our supplier provided us with certifications from independent testing facilities indicating that the above products meet the California lead limitations, we conducted additional independent testing on random samples which indicates at least some of these products contain lead at levels that exceed California’s warning threshold for lead.
Although the California law would not apply to products sold or used in Canada, we want to ensure that all our products meet our quality guidelines for products sold in North America. As such, our products should comply with California’s requirements. We know that you and your customers have come to expect the highest quality standards from The Pampered Chef.
Given the situation with the holiday plates, we will take the following actions:
1) If you submitted a sample order for the plates, your order for these products will be on backorder. The backorders will be filled when we have acceptable plates in stock.
I know this is disappointing news, be assured we are doing everything we can to rectify it. We are working with our supplier to determine how long it will take to rebuild our stock with product that meet all applicable standards as well as our quality standards. We will provide you with an update on the status of these products the week of September 15.
