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Toy
Safety Article: The information you need to make safe toy choices and
valuable tips on what you as parents and caregivers
can do to protect
your children from unsafe toys!
Shrink Labels Ensuring Holiday Toy Safety
By Carmen Fontana
The holiday season is upon us and that means new toys under the
tree. The joyous Christmas wonder in a child's eye as he or she unwraps
a coveted gift, however, can soon turn harmful-even deadly-if toy
safety concerns aren't taken into consideration. Unless you've got a
shrink labeled product from a reputable American manufacturer in your
hands, what you get may not be what you hoped for.
Shrink wrap labels can ensure that a package's content originates
from its designated source. That's good news given that "three times as
many foreign-made products than American-made products were recalled by
the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) in 2008," according to
the Web site BuyDirectUSA.com. What's more, toys manufactured in China
led to a widespread lead-contaminant scare in 2007.
But what further complicates the toy safety situation is the very
packaging that aims at securing the gift's contents can quickly become
an injury trap in and of itself. Indeed, HealthDay reports, "There's
one other hazard parents should keep in mind: the packaging the toys
come in. They should move quickly on Christmas morning to clean up all
the mounds of debris left in the wake of gift-giving.
'The adult really needs to take away those packaging materials,'
[the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission spokesperson] Fleming
says, noting such choking hazards as twist-ties, shrink wrap and small
plastic anchors. 'We don't want any of the packaging to turn into a
deadly plaything, so the adult really needs to clean all of that up.'"
This year, thankfully, one of the top online retailers is cutting
back on the packaging parents and children will need to open to get
their hands on the goodies inside. "The Seattle-based company plans to
start shipping items in plain brown cardboard boxes, instead of putting
a pre-boxed or plastically sealed item inside another box."
Children's toys will now be shipped from this particular Internet
retailer's warehouses "in a plain brown box with cardboard padding and
a plastic bag holding the toy people and whatnot." A shrink label
adhered to the outside of the brown paper box or a hermetically sealed
shrink bag inside can verify the safety and security of the contents.
It is anticipated that other retailers and manufacturers will soon
follow suit in this environmentally friendly packaging cutback. As they
do so, they will turn to the latest shrink label technology.
Showpack® flat bottom bags, for instance, offer the latest technology
in pre-made, side gusseted, true flat bottom shrink label bags. Their
unique format is sure to differentiate a retailer's product and, unlike
the current brown bag approach, generate attention at the point of
purchase.
With their wide seals and a stable base, Showpack® bags look great
displayed standing up on the shelf, and with registered print on all
five panels, they provide excellent graphics when displayed lying down
as well. Hermetic shrink seals eliminate infestation issues and extend
shelf life.
Compared to other packaging formats, like multi-wall paper bags,
Showpack® bags' plastic construction is sturdy. The bags are also
available with value-added features like press-to-close reclose, slider
reclose and carrying handles. These additional shrink label measures
further ensure the safety integrity of the contents.
Carmen Fontana is a Web Services Manager for Western Reserve Internet Services. Learn more about tamper evident packaging at http://www.printpack.com/sealit.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Carmen_Fontana
http://EzineArticles.com/?Shrink-Labels-Ensuring-Holiday-Toy-Safety&id=1813503
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