STR OFFERS GLOBAL COMPLIANCE EDUCATION SEMINARS

STR is offering 1-day and 2-day on-site training and implementation seminars that can help organizations learn about the various global regulations that exist such as California Prop. 65, Global RoHS, REACH, EuP, ELV, etc. Read more.

To learn more about these educational training programs please contact Kevin Smith at mailto:rohs@strus.com

"DELIVERING CONFIDENCE WORLDWIDE"

STR's Tagline And What It Means To Clients

Earlier this year, The STR Companies launched a new tagline to reflect the comprehensive services we provide to manufacturers, retailers, suppliers and importers/exporters of consumer products. From product safety testing on toys to inspections of apparel production, from quality testing of food to sensory evaluation of an OTC drug, and from ISO registration services to social compliance assessments, the STR Companies are dedicated to providing our clients with the confidence they need to make informed business decisions. Read more.

Tell us how you think The STR Companies deliver confidence to your company. Please send replies to June Ip at mailto:jip@intlcompliance.com

FOOD AND DRUG INDUSTRY UPDATES

FDA Launches New Program For Food Safety

The FDA has launched a program called the Food Protection Plan which is designed to bolster efforts to protect the nation's food supply. The program proposes the use of science and a risk-based approach to ensure the safety of domestic and imported foods eaten by American consumers. Press Release and Food Protection Plan.

Import Safety

On July 18, 2007, the Interagency Working Group on Import Safety established an Executive Order to conduct a comprehensive review of current import safety practices and determine where improvements can be made. The Action Plan for Import Safety provides specific short- and long-term recommendations to better protect consumers and enhance the safety of the increasing volume of imports entering the United States. Click here for website.

FDA Panel To Investigate OTC Cold Drug Ingredients

The FDA will assign a panel of experts to probe the effectiveness of new formulations of over-the-counter cold treatments. Forbes/Associated Press.

China Approves Food Safety Law, WHO Lauds Efforts

On October 31, 2007 in Beijing, the Chinese government approved in principle, a new food safety law aimed at raising standards at every level of production. The quality of Chinese goods has come under international scrutiny following scandals involving products ranging from toothpaste and pet food to toys and fish. The State Council, or cabinet, has now approved the food safety law and it will be passed to the largely rubber-stamp parliament for the final nod. Read more.

FDA Has Concerns Regarding Sugar Free Claims

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is concerned about the number of products we have seen that contain claims regarding the absence of sugar, such as, "sugar free" but that fail to bear the required disclaimer statement when these foods are not "low" or "reduced in" calories or fail to bear the required disclaimer statement in the location or with the conspicuousness required by regulation. Guidance Document.

Advisory Committees Recommends Against Cough And Cold Medications In Children Under 6

Citing a lack of proven effectiveness and a need for clinical trials in children, the FDA's Nonprescription Drugs and Pediatric Advisory Committees recommended the ingredients in cough and cold medications not be used in children younger than 6. Read more.

LABELING AND PACKAGING UPDATES

Model Toxics In Packaging Legislation (Formally CONEG)

This model legislation was originally drafted by the Source Reduction Council of CONEG in 1989. It was developed in an effort to reduce the amount of heavy metals in packaging and packaging components that are sold or distributed throughout the United States. Specifically, the law is designed to phase out the use and presence of mercury, lead, cadmium and hexavalent chromium in packaging within four years in states that enact the legislation. Read more.

California Senate Bill 774

On October 13, 2007, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed Senate Bill 774 which strengthens existing state regulations regarding lead content in labeling of imported glass bottles. This law gives state and local officials new enforcement authority to ensure that consumers are protected from lead poisoning by setting a minimum standard of the total nonvolatile content of the paint or weight of the dried paint film for glass bottles. Read more.

New York State Enacts Law Requiring Labeling Of Faux Fur And Real Fur

In order to ensure that consumers are able to make informed decisions regarding the purchase of articles of clothing containing faux fur and real fur, the governor of New York signed Assembly Bill A08966A on August 15, 2007. Read more.

REACH UPDATES

ANSI/NAM Meeting Held To Review Europe's REACH Directive

The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) established a gathering on Wednesday, October 17th to discuss U.S. manufacturers concerns and proposed options in complying with Europe's new REACH Directive that took effect on June 1, 2007.Read more.

EUROPEAN UPDATES

New EN Standards For Non-Domestic Seating

The Technical Committee CEN/TC 207 "Furniture" of the European Committee for Standardization (CEN) has recently published two European Standards, EN 15373:2007 and EN 14703:2007 for the safety requirements and test methods of non-domestic seating. Click here for EN standards.

SHUSTER IN THE NEWS

"Healthier Snacks"

Phil Katz, Senior Vice President of Shuster Laboratories was interviewed for the featured article, "Healthier Snacks", that appeared in the May 2007 issue of Food Product Design magazine. To receive a copy of this article, please e-mail mailto:articles@shusterlabs.com

"Leveraging Food Safety Data To Improve Operations"

Arthur Rumpf, Senior Technical Consultant of Shuster Laboratories was interviewed for for the August/September 2007 issue of Food Safety magazine. The feature article called "Leveraging Food Safety Data to Improve Operations", reviews the process for leveraging food safety data for increased effectiveness. To receive a copy of this article, please e-mail mailto:articles@shusterlabs.com

TOY INDUSTRY UPDATES

STR Profiled By Major Broadcast Media

Over the past week, STR has been profiled by CNN and CNBC as one of the leading toy testing companies in the world. Sue DeRagon, STR's toy industry expert, was interviewed for the stories. She talks about the importance of STR's toy quality and safety programs that focus on hazard prevention and not just detection. Earlier this month, STR was also included in a toy testing segment on NBC's Today Show. View CNBC segment. or View CNN segment.

Toy Safety Coordination Initiative

Toy safety continues to be a major concern, with ongoing recalls and numerous bills proposed to Congress to mandate testing. At the Industry level, the Toy Industry Association (TIA) and the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) continue to move forward in developing a sustainable program to ensure toy safety and a means to implement this program. This Toy Safety Coordination Initiative (TSCI) is intended to address not just product testing but also the design issues and factory manufacturing problems that have resulted in many of the toy recalls.

STR actively participates in the TSCI, as do a wide range of industry members and stakeholders, including toy manufacturers, retailers, laboratories, consultants, and advocacy groups. Click here for work group progress.

STR-US To Exhibit At American International TOY FAIR On February 17-20, 2008

STR will have an exhibit at booth #5388 at TOY FAIR on February 17-20, 2008 and will showcase the company's comprehensive quality assurance and safety services. STR can assist companies with audits, inspections and test products at every stage of the supply chain. Our approach to toy quality and safety is to develop programs that focus on hazard prevention not just detection.

For more information on TOY FAIR, please visit http://www.toy-tia.org/ To meet with STR staff members at the show or learn more about our programs and services, please contact Lauralee Soli at mailto:lauralee%20soli@strus.com

TIA Launches New Consumer Resources For Toy Safety Information

The Toy Industry Association has a new consumer website: http://www.toyinfo.org/and a call center at (888-88-4TOYS). They have developed these resources to both reassure and educate consumers on the industry' rigorous safety standards and testing process. Read more.

Peru, Columbia And Australia Issue Emergency Bans & Regulations For Toys

Peru's new standard for toys and school supplies prohibits and penalizes manufacturing, distribution, import and retailing toxic or dangerous toys and school supplies.

The Commonwealth of Australia has imposed a temporary emergency ban on children's toys having accessible materials with a lead migration level greater than 90 mg/kg, when tested.

Colombia has issued a new Emergency Technical Regulation which establishes mandatory health requirements for toys which are manufactured, imported, exported, stored, distributed and sold within the national territory and which are intended for human use. Read more.

Proposed Legislation Regarding Bisphenol-A And Phthalates

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has proposed two companion acts, House Act No. 259 and Senate Act No. 545, to restrict the use of bisphenol-A and phthalates in toys and child care articles. These acts, which would be effective January 1, 2008, prohibit the manufacture, sale or distribution of toys or child care items containing bisphenol-A. Read more.

CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY NEWS

US Consumer Product Safety Commission Recall Lists

The CPSC offers a free online subscription service to lists of product recalls, press releases, and safety news. The recall notifications are sent via E-mail to subscribers the same day they are issued. To subscribe to this free service, simply register your E-mail address at http://www.cpsc.gov/cpsclist.aspx and select the combination of notices you wish to receive.

RoHS UPDATES

RoHS Revamp Review

The European Union is reviewing its RoHS Directive and is expected to recommend changes that would make the RoHS Directive clearer, simpler and perhaps broader. Companies selling electronic products into the EU markets should be aware of the possible modifications that are on the table. The European Commission is also looking at restricting additional substances under RoHS, though it has not said which ones. Read more.

Electronics Industry Experiences RoHS Misconduct

Recently, the electronics industry has experienced a prosecution for non-compliance to the RoHS Directive. Officials from British and Scandinavian countries are testing selected consumer products and are examining them for RoHS violations. RoHS authorities' primary testing mechanism is XRF screening. Companies should not rely solely on Material Declarations and Certificates of Conformance for assurance. Full article.

If you are not sure if your products will pass XRF screening in Europe, please contact Kevin Smith at mailto:rohs@strus.com for a quotation on XRF screening and how we can help you achieve compliance.

LEAD AND CHEMICALS UPDATES

Chromium (VI) In Leather Products

Chromium is one of the most commonly used mineral tanning agents in leather industry. Leather manufacturing consists of many different processes and "Tanning" is one of the crucial steps in the production process. The presence of Chromium (VI) in leather introduces health hazard to human. The World Health Organization (WHO) & U.S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have determined that Chromium (VI) is human carcinogen. Read more.

California Proposition 65 Enforcement Actions

The state of California has issued several enforcement actions for manufacturers and distributors in violation of certain chemicals and toxic substances under Proposition 65. Click here to read more on Proposition 65 enforcement actions that have been setttled and that are still pending.

Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA)

PFOA (Perfluorooctanoic acid and its salts, including the ammonium salt) is an industrial chemical processing aid typically used to make certain fluoropolymers (e.g. polytetrafluoroethylene PTFE, commonly known as Teflon), which have a variety of consumer and industrial applications.

Concerns have been raised that certain fluorotelomers (small fluorine-containing polymers) may break down or degrade to form PFOA in the environment. Read more.

CSCC NEW OFFICE LOCATION

CSCC New Jersey Office Moved

The CSCC New Jersey office moved to a new location at the end of October 2007. The new address is below. Phones and extensions remain the same.

CSCC, An STR Company
36-42 Newark St. Unit # 303
Hoboken, NJ 07030