With more than 2,000 product recalls in 2011 alone, consumers may be suffering from 'recall fatigue'

Regulators, retailers and manufacturers are getting worried that the public is suffering from "recall fatigue."

Last year, there were 2,363 recalls, according to data from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the Department of Agriculture and the Consumer Product Safety Commission. That's a 14 percent increase over 2010 when there were 2,081 recalls. In 2007, there were 1,460.

"We have this growing concern for safety, but with there being so many recalls going on, [is the public] paying attention to them and responding to them in a manner that is necessary for the recalls to be handled effectively?" asked Mike Rozembajgier, a vice president of Stericycle ExpertRecall.

There have already been hundreds of recalls this year. Pfizer recalled birth-control pills after it was discovered they could have been packaged out of sequence, increasing chances for pregnancy. Nearly 170,000 Ikea customers were asked to return high chairs after it was found the restraint buckle opened unexpectedly. Today, Samsonite recalled suitcases because they were made with high levels of compounds linked to cancer.

Experts believe "the increase is the result of a combination of greater oversight by regulators, better testing procedures and the use of social media where consumers can quickly point out and discuss problems with other people," reports Christopher Doering of the Des Moines Register. (Read more)