• Advertising Age, Tuesday, August 21, 2007 1:15 PM

Despite scandals that have shaken consumer confidence in products imported from China, marketers outside of those affected segments aren't taking any extra measures to offer reassurance regarding safety.

In the wake of last week's latest China-quality scandal, in which Mattel issued its second lead-paint-based toy recall, marketers should be doing more to address the concerns, crisis-communications experts say, adding that it's shortsighted for marketers to assume consumers will give Chinese imports the benefit of the doubt.

Yet marketers in industries that source ingredients from China were keeping a low profile on the issue. Spokesmen for major food suppliers ConAgra and Kellogg said they had no plans to take additional steps to promote their quality-control measures. And Miller Brewing Co., which is planing a U.S. rollout of China's top-selling beer, Snow, for the fourth quarter, says it won't be doing anything differently nor are they worried the issue will hurt sales.

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