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Kids' tableware lacks proper labeling: survey

A girl holds up pieces of children's tableware at a news conference yesterday. The Consumers' Foundation said that according to its survey, 41 percent of children's dining utensils do not meet safety standards. PHOTO: CHIEN JUNG-FONG, TAIPEI TIMES

Forty-one percent of children's tableware sold on the market is improperly labeled, according to the results of a survey released yesterday by the Consumers' Foundation.

For the purpose of the survey, the foundation sampled 17 pieces of children's tableware sold from Sept. 4 to Sept. 8 at 12 outlets, including Sogo Department Store, Breeze Center, RT-Mart, Carrefour, Geant and Wellcome.

Yu Kai-hsiung (游開雄), the foundation's deputy secretary-general, said the results showed that labeling for seven of the products failed to include information about the manufacturer, including their name, telephone number and address, as required by the country's Food Sanitation Management Law (食品衛生管理法).

Yu said that under the law, the relevant authorities can order manufacturers to recall the products and make improvements, and if the manufacturers fail to comply within a given period of time, the authorities may confiscate and destroy the products.

Meanwhile, the foundation suggested that the government apply the same labeling requirements to children's tableware as for toys, to better protect consumers.

While toys require labeling that includes the name of the product, main ingredients or materials, suitable age for use, method of use and a warning, only one children's tableware product met these standards, foundation officials said.

Also, they said that only five product labels had contained information on their heat resistance level, which is important for being able to judge whether the products can be boiled for sterilization.

They said that eight products were labeled in Japanese but not in Chinese, a violation which may be penalized with a fine of up to NT$200,000 (US$6,076).
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