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FMI 1998 ANNUAL CONVENTION

CHICAGO -- One of the nation's largest shopping-cart manufacturers said it has stepped up its efforts to reduce shopping-cart injuries involving children.nstrating the proper usage of shopping carts onto the plastic flap that doubles as a child seat and a leghole closure. The new signs feature attention-grabbing orange and red, and follow the guidelines of the American National Standards Institute.The

CHICAGO -- One of the nation's largest shopping-cart manufacturers said it has stepped up its efforts to reduce shopping-cart injuries involving children.

nstrating the proper usage of shopping carts onto the plastic flap that doubles as a child seat and a leghole closure. The new signs feature attention-grabbing orange and red, and follow the guidelines of the American National Standards Institute.

The company will also furnish posters and brochures to assist retailers in educating parents on how to make sure their children are safe during their shopping trips, said Steve Campbell, Unarco president.

"The behavior of the parent must be adjusted," Campbell told a press conference here during the Food Marketing Institute's annual convention.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates that falls, tipping and other shopping-cart accidents injure 22,000 children aged five and under every year. Unarco said most of those injuries could be prevented with proper parental supervision and the use of safety straps.

Unarco estimates that 30% of children who ride in shopping carts are not strapped in. Campbell said children should not be allowed to ride in the large basket section of the cart or climb on the outside of the cart. Parents should also be sure to stay with their children while they are seated in a shopping cart, he added.

Unarco said it has formed an alliance with the National Safe Kids Campaign and will continue to work with the Washington-based FMI to promote shopping-cart safety.

Timothy M. Hammonds, the FMI's president and chief executive officer, said the effort "shows what can be accomplished when organizations and companies work together" on issues like safety.

Unarco manufactures about 750,000 shopping carts per year, according to industry estimates.