Trading standards officers are facing a funding crisis, as the number of dangerous products recalled hit an all-time high last year. The revelation came after a survey from City law firm, Reynolds Porter Chamberlain, revealed the number of unsafe items withdrawn rose by 22 % in 2007 to 192. Trading Standards Institute spokesman, Tony Northcott, said: ‘It has increased pressure on trading standards. ‘The difficulty with product safety is that the only way we can check them is by having them tested. ‘So, we are having to carry out extra tests, and that means extra pressure on budgets. ‘We are always calling for more funding, but now we are really feeling the pinch.' The source of the problem is the increasing number of companies in Britain and the US outsourcing the manufacturing of cheap goods to countries in the Far East, including China. Mark Kendall, a partner at Reynolds Porter Chamberlain, said: ‘We have been warning for years of the risks in uncontrolled outsourcing to China and other developing countries. ‘But putting in place proper quality controls to protect customers is easier said than done.' Now, trading standards officers say the increased need for vigilance and testing is putting extra pressure on their already hard-pressed budgets. Mr Northcott said it was ‘incumbent on firms' outsourcing to places such as China to be extra vigilant to ensure all products complied with British standards. There were 91 food recalls – up 22% on the previous year – and 27 pharmaceutical recalls. Among the high-profile companies forced to recall was toymaker Mattel, which took the decision last August to recall two million Chinese-made toys from Britain, including Barbie dolls and Polly Pocket. It emerged some of the toys produced had been decorated in toxic coatings.
