A number of Adelaide retailers have agreed to strengthen their product safety protocols, after investigations by the State’s consumer watchdog revealed they were selling products that failed to meet minimum safety and information standards.

At Kawaii $2.80 in the Adelaide CBD and Kawaii $2.80 Everything Elizabeth, inspectors from Consumer and Business Services found a total of five cosmetic products that failed to have their ingredients listed in English, breaching the mandatory information standards for cosmetic products.

At Get a Bargain in Gawler, inspectors found four home fragrance products that contained soaps which did not display their ingredients in English, and nearly 70 sets of sunglasses that weren’t labelled correctly – in breach of mandatory safety standards.

At All in One Discount stores at Marden and Brighton, inspectors found an infant gift set that failed to pass indicative safety testing and a children’s portable swimming pool that did not have the relevant safety warnings displayed on the portable pool and its packaging.

And at Cheap as Chips at Fulham Gardens, investigators found 17 cosmetic products being sold without the ingredients labelled.

“The safety and information standards applied to products – regardless of whether it’s a set of cosmetics, a pair of sunglasses or a swimming pool for kids - play an important role in protecting consumers,” Commissioner for Consumer Affairs Dini Soulio said.

“Consumers have every reason to expect that any products they buy comply with these safety and information standards – and in each of these cases, these retailers fell short.”

Mr Soulio said the operators of each store have now entered into written undertakings with Consumer and Business Services agreeing to tighten their product safety compliance program to ensure that:

• New stock won’t be offered for sale until the business is satisfied it meets Australian safety and information standards
• Current stock is regularly audited to ensure it complies with Australian safety and information standards
• All staff will undertake regular training to ensure they understand product safety compliance requirements.

A formal written undertaking may be used in place of court based enforcement action, and does not preclude further action, such as prosecution, if the trader fails to abide by the undertaking.

If any consumers have a concern about the safety of a product, they should contact CBS on 131 882.