Dangerous products on the contemporary EU market – characteristics of the non-food products

Abstract

Purpose: For most products, for example, toys, food, cosmetics, there are regulations in European law that define safety requirements. However, each year, several thousand products potentially dangerous for consumers appear on the market. Producers’ organizations, as well as public institutions and consumer organizations are fighting to keep them as few as possible, yet, different market forces play a role here and they are still on the market. Therefore, consumers should be educated and knowledge about such products should be disseminated. Design/methodology/approach: In the research part, the products deemed unsafe in years 2015-2021 were analyzed. Additionally, the 80 latest alerts on dangerous products were also thoroughly analyzed. Data was collected from The European Commission Safety Gate system, The comparative analysis method was used as well as the documentary analysis. Findings: The aim of this article was to identify the main types of risk to consumers, related to the consumption of non-food products. The conducted analysis shows that it is mainly a risk of injury, poisoning, allergic reaction, as well as chocking and suffocation, but the risks vary greatly depending on the product group. It is significant that dangerous products are often intended for children, therefore the conscious attitude of parents is important. Research limitations/implications: It should be taken into account that the situation may change over time, that may be related to new legal norms, to a change in the economic situation on international markets due to new products, to greater awareness of producers, for example. Therefore this type of research should be discussed in a broader context. Practical implications: The analysis shows the need for an alert system against dangerous products. The results indicate that stereotypes about the ‘safe country of origin’ can change; in practice, therefore, consumers need new knowledge about dangerous products which will help them make informed decisions. Up-to-date knowledge is also needed by the sellers – they can make decisions about cooperation with suppliers that will be more favorable to them. Social implications: The awareness of the presence of dangerous products on the market is important for the health of consumers, but it is also important for producers themselves due to the potential damage that can be caused to consumers and the environment. Keywords: conscious consumption, consumer rights, RAPEX, safety of consumption. Category of the paper: Research paper.