The large retailer Target is well-known in America for its wide variety of affordable products. In recent years, Target has expanded its variety of kitchen products, providing customers with many brands to choose from. Having a large variety of products doesn’t necessarily mean all of the products are safe, however. In April, Wilton Industries, a company that manufactures products for Target, recalled approximately 148,700 Giada De Laurentiis ceramic lasagna pans due to handles that could have broken off during use, posing a laceration hazard. This week, the same company is recalling yet another product sold exclusively at Target: approximately 716,000 tea kettles due to a burn hazard.
According to the CPSC, the Chefmate tea kettles are manufactured in a way that allows steam to travel up the handle or water to spill from the spout. Both of these events could potentially burn the consumer. Additionally, the kettles may fail to whistle due to an excess of leaking steam. The CPSC states that “if water completely evaporates from the kettle, the aluminum bottom can melt onto the stove and pose a burn hazard.” Wilton Industries has received 13 incident reports, but no injuries have been reported.
Manufactured in Indonesia and China, the black enamel tea kettles hold about two quarts of liquid. The bottoms of the tea kettles have a stamped Chefmate logo. The recalled models were sold at Target and online at Target.com from January 2006 through May 2013. They were priced at approximately $9.
The CPSC urges consumers to stop using the tea kettles. Target stores will provide owners of the recalled products with a full refund. Consumers can also contact Wilton Industries at 866-255-9237 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. CT Monday through Thursday and from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. CT Friday for more information about a refund.