Consumer experts, manufacturers, retailers and government regulators are concerned that American consumers are experiencing something they have termed "recall fatigue." This phenomenon could have product liability implications, as consumers need to be effectively informed of dangerous products.

In June, Kellogg's asked customers to refrain from eating Froot Loops. Chef Boyardee recalled 15 million pounds of Spaghetti-Os. McDonalds asked for the return of 12 million Shrek glasses. Two million cribs were recalled by seven different companies. These recalls were just a small fraction of product recalls in the month of June.

Jeff Farrar, associate commissioner for food protection at the Food and Drug Administration stated that, as the number of product recalls goes up, the risk of oversaturating consumers with product recall information increases as well.

Due to this recall fatigue, some consumers stop paying attention to recalls or ignore them. For example, Hasbro recalled its Easy Bake Oven in 2007 after two dozen children had their fingers stuck in the oven door. In the six months following the recall, Hasbro received 249 more reports of injury.

Likewise, a recent study revealed that 12 percent of American consumers knew they had food that had been recalled in their homes but chose to eat it anyway.

There is a government website that provides information about all recalls, and consumers can sign up for email alerts about specific products. There is even a Smartphone application to allow consumers to check for recalls while they are shopping.

However, the constant stream of recalls seems to be overload for many consumers.

According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, consumers are much more likely to return a product if it is expensive, like a costly appliance. Consumers return only about 30 percent of everyday recalled goods.

However, car owners are the most receptive to product recalls. According to the National highway Traffic Safety Administration, 73 percent of recalled vehicles and 45 percent of recalled child car seats were returned in 2009.

Consumer experts believe that the best method for making sure consumers hear and respond to product recalls is to have them notified directly by manufacturers. There has already been a move in this direction, with a new federal law requiring manufacturers of certain baby and toddler items to include registration cards. This will allow the manufacturer to contact the consumer directly, making it more likely that the consumer will heed the recall and return the product. 

Source: Richmond Times-Dispatch "'Recall fatigue' may numb people to product risks" 8/7/10