"Contrary to what some might say, our country needs consumer watchdogs now more than ever. Millions of toys were recalled last year for having lead paint, which has been banned in the United States for 20 years. "

Before those recalls, it was dangerous pet food. Before that: spinach tainted with E. coli. We have hundreds of ports in the country and our food and consumer goods travel thousands of miles to arrive in our homes.

Now that globalization has made the marketplace an entirely different arena to police, companies are cutting corners to cut costs. And they’re leaving our safety net badly frayed.

That’s why we’re not only stepping up our vigilance when it comes to toy safety studies —we’re also calling on companies to end the recalls and pledge to protect the public. In the coming months, we’ll ask them to sign our pledge, and we’ll report back to you on who signs up . . . and who says no.

Now’s a good time to introduce myself. I’m the new executive director of U.S. PIRG. I got my start doing this kind of work as a student volunteer and canvasser with CALPIRG as an undergraduate at UC Berkeley. For the last 18 years, I’ve worked with our student chapters. I’m excited about the next chapter in my PIRG career. If there’s one major thing I’ve learned so far, it’s that we couldn’t undertake such important work if it weren’t for you. Thanks for your support.

Sincerely,

Andre Delattre
Andre@pirg.org