The Bureau of Standards, Metrology and Inspection (BSMI) yesterday announced the results of its latest investigation into products labeled “made in Taiwan” being sold at well-known retailers.
The bureau found more than 1,800 pieces of clothing and bedding that had inadequate labeling or were labeled “made in Taiwan,” when in fact the products were manufactured in China.
The bureau said since May, it had conducted 112 raids on retail clothing stores, department stores and roadside stalls across the country. The latest round of 18 raids in the past two weeks found that 1,180 pieces of clothing, 229 pieces of bedding, 174 pairs of socks, 134 towels, 78 bags and purses and 76 items of footwear were mislabeled or had their labels cut off to hide the fact that they were made in China.
By labeling Chinese-made products with tags indicating the garment was made in Taiwan, manufacturers and shops hope to trick consumers willing to pay more for locally-made products, the bureau said.
Some product labels contained inconsistent information, such as indicating that the product was made domestically, but imported from overseas by a distributor.
Some of the problematic products were found in well-known department stores, such as Shin Kong Mitsukoshi, Pacific Sogo and Hanshin, while others were discovered in smaller retailers or being sold by roadside vendors.
Bureau Deputy Director-General Huang Lai-ho (黃來和) said the sub-standard products have been ordered off the shelves.
Businesses that fail to take products off their shelves and make improvements would have their names and addresses publicized on the bureau’s Web site, and face fines of between NT$20,000 and NT$200,000, Huang said.
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