The Executive Yuan’s Department of Consumer Protection (DCP) has randomly selected 20 commercially available disposable diapers for babies to carry out quality testing and labeling inspection. According to the test and inspection results, all products met the quality guidelines, while 9 products failed to meet guidelines for labeling. Through investigation and prosecution by the Ministry of Economic Affairs' Central Region Office in accordance with the Commodity Labeling Act, 8 products have already been rectified, while 1 product has been taken off the shelves.
Disposable diapers for babies are a basic necessity for any modern parents or household with infants or toddlers. Most parents with infants or toddlers in the home are likely to use this type of product. Out of concern for the safe usage and continued health of infants and toddlers, the DCP has conducted tests on 14 products randomly selected from physical stores in the Greater Taipei Area. At the same time, to ensure that consumers can confidently purchase related products online during the pandemic, the DCP also randomly selected 6 products from online distribution channels. 20 samples of disposable diapers for babies of different brands were selected for testing. Inspection companies were appointed to conduct tests for formaldehyde emission, migratable fluorescent substances, surface dryness (reverse-seepage volume), and plasticizer content. The Central Region Office was responsible for carrying out product labeling inspection. Relevant testing and inspection results are as follows:
I.Quality inspections: All 20 products met the requirements. No formaldehyde emissions, migratable fluorescent substances, or plasticizer contents were detected. Reverse-seepage volumes also met the relevant guidelines.
II.Labeling inspections: Of the 20 inspected products, 11 met all the requirements, while 9 failed to meet the requirements. Common deficiencies:
(I)Failure to label the importer name, address and telephone number. 5 products recorded.
(II)Failure to label usage instructions: 3 products recorded.
(III)Failure to label usage instructions in Chinese: 3 products recorded.
(IV)Manufacturing date includes the month and year, but omits the day: 2 products recorded.
In accordance with Article 15 of the Commodity Labeling Act, should commodities circulating on the market fail to be lawfully labeled, the competent authority under a special municipality or county (city), shall notify the producer, manufacturer, or importer to rectify such defect within a given time limit; and if the companies fail to do so upon expiry of the given time limit, they may be imposed with a fine in an amount not less than NT$ 20,000 but not more than NT$ 200,000, and this fine may be assessed consecutively on a time-by-time basis until a satisfactory correction of such default. Of the 9 improperly labeled products found by this inspection, all relevant companies have been notified by the Central Region Office via related local authorities to make corrections during the given time period. 8 such products have already completed corrections, while 1 product is imported and limited in stock, and so has been taken off the shelves.
This inspection found the quality of all 20 tested products to meet the guidelines. However, significant retail price differences still exist among commercially available disposable diapers for babies, with unit prices ranging from NT$4.27 to NT$12.11 per diaper. The DCP has organized relevant data for future purchasing reference by consumers.
The DCP reminds consumers that when purchasing disposable diapers for babies, they should pay attention to not only the size but also whether the labels indicate basic information of the importer or manufacturer, the expiration date, precautions for use and other relevant information. For the sake of their personal rights and interests, consumers should also use the products correctly and in accordance with relevant precautions. Additionally, according to the results of this inspection, products with a cheaper retail price are still able to meet quality guidelines. We recommend that consumers break out of brand myths, being smart consumers by purchasing products according to actual personal needs. The more attention you pay, the more peace of mind you get. Shop around and save yourself some money. A good consumption environment depends on our continuous collective efforts.