New Gov’t decree targets labeling violations

Labels must be displayed directly on goods or their commercial packaging in easy-to-spot positions, clearly and fully showing compulsory information about the item.
New Gov’t decree targets labeling violations ảnh 1A market watch team discovers a batch of fake goods in the capital city of Hanoi. (Photo: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) - Labels must bedisplayed directly on goods or their commercial packaging in easy-to-spotpositions, clearly and fully showing compulsory information about the item.

This is the thrust of Government Decree No43/2017/NĐ-CP on labeling of Vietnamese and imported goods, which came intoeffect on June 1.

Under the decree, a label’s compulsoryinformation must include the name of the goods, name and address of theorganisation or individual responsible for the goods, origin of the goods andother information depending on the characteristics of the goods.

Accordingly, organisations and individualsresponsible for the labeling are required to present the informationtruthfully, clearly and precisely. In case such organisations or individualsauthorise others to label their goods, the former will continue to remainresponsible for following labeling regulations.

The new decree also requires goods importedinto Vietnam, which have original labels that are noncompliant with this decreeor lack certain prescribed compulsory information, to have extra labels inVietnamese enclosed with the original ones.

With these new regulations, the decree hascreated legal corridors to prevent vague labeling.

According to the Hanoi Industry and TradeDepartment, lack of production date and place, and vague and inaccuratelabeling are popular ways to swindle customers in the Vietnamese market.

It is easy to catch violations, includinglabels of the wrong size or incorrect font size of letters, in addition to manytypes of imported goods not having an extra label.

As a result, many production establishmentshave taken advantage of this situation to sell fake products. The violationshave mainly been found in food items, clothing and electronic products.

Pham Van Thanh, a resident of Hanoi’s Ba Dinhdistrict, said he bought a gas stove labeled “Rinai – Japan’s leading brandname gas stove” at a trade centre in the capital city and supposed that it hadbeen produced in Japan. When he returned home, he discovered “Made in China”printed below the stove.

An online home appliances shopkeeper in Hanoi,said: "There are Rinai stoves made in Japan, made in Vietnam, and made inChina in the Vietnamese market at different prices. The customers should studythis carefully before making a decision to buy one."

He gave the Napolis gas stove imported fromItaly as an example. The stove is being sold for more than 6 million VND (263.5USD) but there is another stove named Napoli whose label is similar to theItalian one which is priced at 3 million VND. This stove is made in China.

Tran Viet Hung, deputy head of the HanoiMarket Watch Department, said all goods in the market must be properlylabelled. Goods with vague labels were often found to be fake or counterfeit.

“The new regulations will serve as adeterrent and strictly penalise violations on labeling and stamps,” Hung said.-VNA
VNA

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