Citation

Petty RD. J. Consum. Policy 1995; 18(4): 387-415.

Affiliation

Babson College, 02157 Babson Park, MA, USA

Copyright

(Copyright © 1995, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1007/BF01024161

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Those familiar with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission know that it often deals with product safety issues. Nevertheless it is not generally recognized as a safety agency. This paper undertakes a comprehensive review and analysis of the FTC's safety-related activities. It also presents a preliminary evaluation of the potential for FTC safety-related activities to improve consumer product-related safety as compared to other, more traditional, forms of safety law and regulation. It recommends that the FTC make greater use of its unfairness authority to provide safety information during the period of product use in contrast to the Commission's current focus on regulating pre-purchase information.