The checks on toys by the DGCCRF revealed an anomaly rate of 8% in 2013, against 10% in 2012. Several dangers result from non-compliance with safety requirements.
Christmas is synonymous with holidays, fir trees, and especially toys for children. For this reason, each year, the General Directorate for Competition, Consumption and Fraud Control (DGCCRF) implements a vast plan to control toys sold in France. And in 2013, the focus was on “infant” toys and soft toys. The checks focused on a very large panel of professionals, at all stages of the marketing chain, from retail to mass distribution, importation and manufacturing.
A decrease in the anomaly rate
And with an anomaly rate (CE marking for example) of 8% in 2013 (against 10% in 2012) on all the toys inspected (around 26,000), “the results are encouraging”, writes the Management in a press kit.
More worrying perhaps, of the 782 toys taken for their physico-chemical analysis (knowing that these samples are targeted on the most suspect products): 15% were declared non-compliant and dangerous (NCD) by the laboratory .
The identified dangers result from non-compliance with regulatory safety requirements. Among them are the presence of small elements that can lead to a choking hazard; the presence of CMR chemicals (carcinogenic, mutagenic or toxic for reproduction) such as phthalates found in PVC toys; or the sound level of acoustic toys.
Advice for parents
Regarding recommendations, the Management advises parents to check the presence of compulsory markings (European “CE” marking), to verify the age group for which the toy is intended (in particular for toys that are prohibited or not recommended for children under three. years), but also if the toy has small parts, and whether it is suitable for the child for whom it is intended.
In addition, the DGCCRF reminds parents that they must carefully read the recommendations and warnings appearing on the labeling or packaging, and that they must therefore discard toys whose instructions are not translated into French.
Finally, buyers are called upon to favor traditional commercial channels, and not to buy from resellers on the sly.
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