• Currant leaves in oregano? Dangerous boron and phthalates in toys?
• The Trade Inspection and UOKiK laboratories have checked spices, toys and fish.
• Fireworks inspections are being carried out in shops all over Poland.

PLN 131 - that's how much an average Pole will spend on fireworks this year - as results from Kantar's study carried out for Fundacja Pozytywne Emocje*. Importantly, fireworks can only be purchased and set off by adults. The packaging should bear the CE marking, with instructions in Polish, name and address of the manufacturer or importer, product type (e.g. battery, firecracker, rocket) and warnings, including the minimum distance to maintain. Pyrotechnic material must not be spilling out from the packaging. - The Trade Inspection's checks are in progress. So far, 35 kinds of fireworks have been carefully examined by the experts - and 13 of them were questioned. The allegations concern formal issues, i.e. incorrect marking and instructions - says Marek Niechciał, President of the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection (UOKiK). - Every day inspectors take multiple samples so that all consumers can buy safe, good-quality products. They are then sent to UOKiK's accredited laboratories. There we check, for example, how much butter there is in butter or how much of dangerous substances is in toys - adds Marek Niechciał.

Despite the pre-Christmas crowds in shops, it is worth keeping an eye out. Below you can find the results of the latest inspections carried out by UOKiK's laboratories.

Toys - slime, dolls and blocks

At our laboratories we tested the quality and checked the composition of toys. Irregularities were found in 230 (42%) out of 546 cases. - 15 of them did not meet the requirements solely due to incorrect marking. Most toys (69) had too small elements, on which a child could choke - such elements fell out of rattles or detached from plush toys, 27 cases - too high content of phthalates, which are used to soften plastic. The limit is 0.1% by weight of the toy and the highest content was over 50%. We noticed that the cheaper the toy, the more phthalates it contained. For example, in a ball which cost PLN 4.99, there was 50% of phthalates. This may be due to the fact that the cheapest materials such as phthalates were used to manufacture the toy - to make a hard plastic toy soft, these dangerous yet cheapest softeners are added.

Popular slime toys were also examined. They are soft toys with the consistency of jelly or gel, easy to knead. We tested them in terms of boron migration - this element is a component of borax and gives slime flexibility, but it must not exceed 300 mg/kg. Otherwise it can cause nausea, vomiting, agitation and even nervous system disorders. Out of 15 slime toys, its level was too high in 13. In one case it was 24 times over the limit - with boron migration of 7159 mg/kg.

Are you making slime with your child at home? Be careful - you have no control over the amount of boron. Unfortunately, recipes found online recommend using ingredients that contain boron, e.g. borax, washing liquid. Homemade slime can also contain high levels of boron.

Spices - pepper, saffron, oregano

UOKiK laboratories checked what can be found in popular spices. The laboratory tests included: pepper, saffron, oregano, pepper, chilli, turmeric and Roman cumin. A total of 20 samples were examined and 9 raised objections. The spices were collected by the Trade Inspection from various stores - they were mainly imported, sold in original packaging with an attached label in Polish.

The worst case was oregano, which turned out to be a mixture with shredded fragments of other plants such as currant leaves and cranberries. Ground black pepper contained crushed ligneous stems, and Roman cumin was contaminated with sand. Some of the tested spices also had a weak aroma, were excessively dry, which means worse quality. Laboratory staff also examined saffron. It is a very expensive spice (100 g may cost even 2 thousand PLN), and it turned out that not all samples met the requirements. Some samples contained fine hairs and fur, which may indicate too little care in manual work while producing saffron. The good news is that saffron wasn't counterfeit or replaced with a cheaper alternative such as safflower.

Fish - frozen and processed fish

In Q4 of 2019, staff at UOKiK laboratories checked the quality of frozen fish and canned and marinated fish. Out of 80 samples, 45 (56%) raised objections. Frozen glazed fish had more glaze than declared - out of 21 samples tested for glaze, 8 did not pass. For example, instead of 30 per cent, it was as much as 40%, in another case, instead of the declared 20%, it was 36%. This means that the consumer pays for water, not for fish. Regulations do not specify how much glaze can be used, but it must be indicated on the label if the fish is sold by weight or by packaging. According to UOKiK, 3 to 5 per cent of the glaze is sufficient to protect frozen fish. Another disappointment was a can of tuna in pieces, as it contained very fine particles of fish meat with minced skin and bones.

The results of the inspection described here were sent to provincial inspectorates of the Trade Inspection.

*Kantar Report for Fundacja Pozytywne Emocje, “Postawy Polaków wobec fajerwerków”, December 2019.

Support for consumers:

Tel. 801 440 220 or 22 290 89 16 - Consumer Helpline
E-mail: [SCODE]cG9yYWR5QGRsYWtvbnN1bWVudG93LnBs[ECODE]
Consumer Ombudsmen - in your city or district
Regional Consumer Centres: 22 299 60 90 - Dlakonsumenta.pl
Voivodeship Trade Inspectorates - if you have doubts about product quality.

Additional information for the media:

UOKiK Press Office
Pl. Powstańców Warszawy 1, 00-950 Warszawa, Poland
Phone +48 695 902 088, +48 22 55 60 246
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