Chemical risk, risk of suffocation, electric shock, fire or injury are just some of the reasons why 9,202 pieces of unsafe products were withdrawn from the market of Bosnia and Herzegovina during the past year, of which 8,041 pieces were completely destroyed.
Most unsafe products, according to data from the BiH Market Surveillance Agency, come from China, and as confirmed by this agency, as many as 84 percent of recalled products come from that country.
Children’s toys, including children’s bicycles, skateboards, barbies, as well as grills and kettles, are just some of the products that were recalled last year.
As the Agency explains, there is proactive market surveillance, which is carried out on the basis of the annual market surveillance plan, and reactive surveillance, which, among other things, is carried out on the basis of received consumer complaints.
“In 2023, during the activities of proactive market surveillance, 238 inspection controls were carried out, within which 197 different product models were administratively, visually and laboratory controlled, of which 107 models did not meet the prescribed safety requirements. As a result of the aforementioned activities, the market was 8,828 pieces of unsafe products were withdrawn”, they pointed out for “Nezavisne novine”.
Also, as they add, business entities have, voluntarily or by order of the inspection, harmonized 28,503 pieces of products with prescribed safety requirements.
“Last year, the agency initiated 19 cases of reactive surveillance of the market. Out of the total number of reactive surveillance cases initiated, in 13 it was determined that the non-compliant products in question are on the BiH market. As a result of these activities, 374 pieces of unsafe products were withdrawn from the market,” statements from the Agency.
Murisa Marić, executive director of the Citizens’ Association “Don” Prijedor, points out that the control of products at the border, when they are imported into the country, would be one of the ways to ensure that unsafe products do not even reach consumers.
“That would be most desirable for us consumers, so that we don’t have problems later, because the products would not be found on the market. Especially when it comes to children’s toys. It is very difficult to find all those products that need to be withdrawn from the market. They are mostly sometimes they buy in Chinese stores, and on the other hand, when they are bought in another store, they are made in China and have a lot of small parts. It would be good if they were withdrawn immediately at the border and not come to our market,” she says.
He also adds that the association of agencies from the countries of the former Yugoslavia would speed up the process of detecting unsafe products and prevent their entry into the market.
“Unfortunately, our people do not know when a product should be sent to the Market Surveillance Agency. We had problems with skateboards, scooters before… Citizens contacted us and we sent some of those products as samples and they were withdrawn from the market.” says Marić.
Proactive and reactive market surveillance, according to data from the BiH Market Surveillance Agency, continued during this year.
“Sampling, laboratory tests and taking measures for toys, skateboards, strollers, laser products and solid fuel grills are underway,” they pointed out, Nezavisne writes.
