Hasbro (HAS) To Test China Toys: It's Never Too Late To Look Good

Hasbro (HAS) is making a big deal out of the fact that it will step up the amount of testing that it gives toys coming in from China. According to Reuters, the company’s "toys will undergo a rigorous testing process similar to the "three-point" check system Mattel (MAT) disclosed on Tuesday."  Hasbro says that any paint used in toys will be examined throughout the manufacturing process.

The toys, those being examined, at the ones that Hasbro has been selling to children, one has to suppose, without rigorous inspection.

The opens an interesting door, and it is one that Hasbro’s PR people should not have walked through. The fact that the company is going to step up scrutiny means that it was sub-standard before. It means that Hasbro did not want to invest the cash in making sure that the toys were OK before they came into the US.

It means that Hasbro is admitting, in an odd sort of way, that it put profit over safety.

Douglas A. McIntyre can be reached at [email protected]. He does not own securities in companies that he writes about.