An article this morning in the local paper — The Ottawa Citizen — caught my eye. You can read the article here; it is planned as a three part series that looks at how illegal toxins (like lead) get into child’s toys….
Of course, there is nothing unique about toys and toxins — the article series itself looks to be specifically focused on the toy industry, supply chain management, and Health Canada regulations as they relate to the toy industry. However, for “toys” replace “food”, “automotive parts”, “cosmetics”, or just about any other product or service — they all have the same basic constructs as the toy industry which includes a global supply chain with myriad suppliers and sub-suppliers, paper-based inspection criteria and lots of self-regulation requirements, and strong profit motives which create incentives to “cut corners”.
