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Need to know
Recalled kitchen products can cause a disturbing variety of injuries if the defects lead to accidents
We’ve identified 28 kitchen product recalls and the harms the appliances can cause
The ACCC says it's recently tightened its recall regime because some product suppliers were not seeking out recalled products
A number of unpleasant things could happen if you still have a recalled kitchen product in your home.
Among them are scaldings, burns, electric shocks, lacerations, fires, and explosions caused by gas leaks.
But there's also button battery ingestion, undercooked meat and bits of plastic ending up in your food to worry about.
Why are these recalled products still out there? Australia's lax product safety laws don't help, nor does the fact that the recalls are mostly voluntary.
Do you have any of these unsafe kitchen appliances?
We've trawled through the government product recall site looking for kitchen appliances that have been ruled unsafe after the sale.
We've narrowed these down to a list of kitchen products that have been recalled in the last five years, and categorised according to the types of potential injuries. On average, only about half of these products have been returned.
Danger – Lacerations
Recalled product: Beaba Babycook Neo Potential cause of injury: Glass bowl may shatter or break. Supplier: Bloom and Grow
Recalled product: Cuisinart Food Processors Potential cause of injury: Blade can crack over time and small metal pieces can break off during use. Supplier: Conair Australia
Recalled product: Franke FWD75R Waste Disposal Potential cause of injury: Blades could detach and be ejected through the opening in the disposal unit. Supplier: PR Kitchen and Washroom Systems
Recalled product: Franke Waste Disposal Unit Potential cause of injury: Cutting blades may break while in use and fly out. Supplier: PR Kitchen and Washroom Systems
Recalled product: Target Stainless Steel Table Blender (5L TARB100 500W) Potential cause of injury: Glass jug can separate from plastic base exposing rotating blades. Supplier: Target Australia
Danger – Electric shock, fire, burns, scalding
Recalled product: Bialetti Class Induction 4 Cup Coffee Maker Potential cause of injury: Base may crack or separate causing release of hot contents and potential scalding. Supplier: Conga Foods
Recalled product: Bodum Bistro Stainless Steel 2 Slice Toaster Potential cause of injury: Fluctuating voltage issue may cause an electrical shock. Supplier: Bodum Australia
Recalled product: Crofton Chef's Collection 6L Pressure Cooker Potential cause of injury: Lid locking mechanism may be defective, causing lid to detach when cooking. Risk of scalding. Defect has caused serious burns to consumers. Supplier: Aldi
Recalled product: Dometic 2 Door Absorption Refrigerator (188L RUA6408X and 224L RUA8408X) Potential cause of injury: Small wiring loom may overheat and char when the product is running on 12V DC, causing risk of fire. Supplier: Dometic Australia
Recalled product: Electrolux Pyrolytic Duo Oven (EVEP626SC 60cm)< Potential cause of injury: Insulation failure on food probe power board could make food probe electrically live. Risk of shock. Supplier: Electrolux Home Products
Recalled product: Infrared Portable Ceramic Hob Cooker Potential cause of injury: Possible risk of overheating when in use, resulting in fire hazard. Supplier: Innovations
Recalled product: Instant Hot Water Kettle Potential cause of injury: Kettle may start by itself and cycle through water heating process. Kettle may overheat and catch fire. Supplier: Innovations Direct
Recalled product: Kambrook Essentials Microwave Oven 30L Potential cause of injury: Potential component failure may result in a fire. Supplier: Kambrook
Recalled product: KitchenAid Electric Kettle 1.7L Potential cause of injury: Handle may become loose or separate causing potential scalding or burns. Supplier: KitchenAid Australia
Recalled product: Kmart 2 Slice Stainless Steel Toaster Potential cause of injury: Faulty switch may cause heating element to remain live when lever is up and toaster appears to be off. Risk of electric shock. Supplier: Kmart Australia
Recalled product: Kuchef Digital Glass Kettle Potential cause of injury: Handle may come loose or detach from the body. Risk of scalding. Supplier: Aldi
Recalled product: Miele Coffee Machine (models CVA 3650 & CVA 3660) Potential cause of injury: Internal power connection may become defective and create a fire risk. Supplier: Miele Australia
Recalled product: Nutrex Cooker, 9 Litre (item Number 2153) Potential cause of injury: Risk of unintended depressurisation and release of steam, potentially causing burns. Supplier: Rena Ware International
Recalled product: Portable Luminaire, Travel Adaptor, Kitchen Machines Potential cause of injury: Does not comply with electrical safety standards. May cause electric shock or fire. Supplier: Ekam Indian Groceries
Recalled product: Stirling 1.7L Electric Kettle Potential cause of injury: Handle may become loose or separate causing risk of scalding. Supplier: Tempo (Aust)
Recalled product: Target 4 Slice Toaster Potential cause of injury: Toaster may overheat due to internal component failure. Risk of fire or electric shock. Supplier: Target Australia
Recalled product: Target Stick Blender (TARHB40S 250W) Potential cause of injury: May overheat and cause plastic enclosure to melt, exposing live parts. Risk of burns and electric shock. Supplier: Target Australia
Recalled product: Wonder Cooker Potential cause of injury: Heating element may become loose, causing risk of burns. Supplier: Brazco International
Danger – Button batteries
Recalled product: Smith and Nobel 15kg Glass Platform Electronic Kitchen Scale – Black Potential cause of injury: Young children may gain access to button batteries, ingest them and suffer internal burn injuries which can result in serious illness and even death. May also pose choking hazard. Supplier: PSEA Dept Stores (trading as Harris Scarfe)
Recalled product: Smith and Nobel 10kg Electronic Kitchen Scale Potential cause of injury: Young children may gain access to button batteries, ingest them and suffer internal burn injuries which can result in serious illness and even death. May also pose choking hazard. Supplier: PSEA Dept Stores (trading as Harris Scarfe)
Danger – Gas explosion
Recalled product: Bosch Freestanding Gas/Electric Cooker 60cm Potential cause of injury: Adaptor between gas supply and appliance may crack. Leaking gas may cause explosion. Supplier: BSH Home Appliances
Danger – Plastics ingestion
Recalled product: Dualit 1.5L Jug Kettle Polished with Black Trim Potential cause of injury: Plastic viewing windows may shatter. Pieces may be accidentally consumed. Supplier: JR Classic Trends
Danger – Undercooked meat
Recalled product: Sunbeam Sous Chef Stir Multi Cooker (Model MU3000) Potential cause of injury: If used in slow cooker mode on either high or low settings, product may not reach and maintain temperature sufficient to fully cook food. Supplier: Sunbeam Corporation
Still waiting for a general safety provision
In a submission to the federal government in November 2019, CHOICE called for a proactive approach to product safety, specifically the establishment of a general safety provision along the lines of the UK's General Product Safety Regulations. In short, we think products should be proven safe before they get sold.
It's a call we've been making repeatedly in recent years, since unsafe products on the Australian market have a long history of causing injuries and deaths, even after they've been recalled.
CHOICE product safety campaigner, Amy Pereira, says "product recalls have tripled in the past twenty years, emphasising the need for a law that requires good to be safe before they go on sale".
1426 kids' and baby products have been recalled in Australia since 1986, but many of them are still in people's homes
In October 2019, the ACCC reported that about 6.6 million products were under voluntary recall in Australia. Approximately 650 are recalled every year, but only around half are returned. Not including motor vehicles, the ACCC reported that about 1.7 million recalled products are still in people's homes.
A Kmart toaster, Bialetti coffee maker and Target blender are among the kitchen appliances on recall in Australia.
Consumers continue to be left in the dark
Then there's the problem of finding out about the recall in the first place. In a recent CHOICE story about a woman who was injured by her Aldi pressure cooker when it erupted and burned her over several parts of her body, the recall notification was not easy to find.
The product was recalled in August 2017, but Giovanna Simonetti didn't discover that until her unit malfunctioned and sent her to the hospital in November 2020. Before the incident, she'd been using the pressure cooker on a regular basis.
And even when retailers do make it clear that a product has been recalled, it still might be available (without noting that it's been recalled).
The ACCC identified that some suppliers who had notified voluntary consumer product recalls were not being effective in seeking out affected products from the marketplace
ACCC spokesperson
Earlier this year, our story about recalled children's products highlighted the products still available on eBay, Gumtree and Facebook Marketplace.
The ACCC says it's tightening up its recall regime. In late March, a spokesperson told us "the ACCC commenced a formal program of monitoring recalls in 2016 after the ACCC identified that some suppliers who had notified voluntary consumer product recalls were not being effective in seeking out affected products from the marketplace. The program was fully operational at the beginning of 2018 and the ACCC continues to refine the program."
"There are many factors that impact on recall effectiveness and since the implementation of increased oversight through the recalls monitoring program, the performance of many consumer product safety recalls has been improved," the spokesperson said.
A Smith & Nobel kitchen scale is on recall due to unsecured button batteries that pose a serious health risk to children.
I own a recalled product – now what?
If you own one of the products identified in this story, go to the government's product safety site (productsafety.gov.au), search for your product by name, and follow the recall instructions. Buyers of recalled products are entitled to a refund from the store where they bought the product.