Proof it is made in x or y country.

[thepinksheep]

Hi, does a consumer have the legal right to ask a retailer for proof that their product is actually made in the country as stated on the label (if the consumer have its doubts)?
Would the retailer legally oblige to the request?

[jencel]

I'm afraid I don't know, but a company shouldn't state a country of manufacture if it wasn't made there. I'm just thinking what I would do if I was asked the same question. I'd have to refer to my suppliers as a first step to finding out.

[alibear]

I think it may be difficult to prove something was made in Loveland - sorry hehe!

[AnnieAnna]

Oooo that's an interesting one. I bring stuff in from Chile and Peru.
As mine are toys I have to take responsibility for them being safe and on my CE label say I'm the importer, and state my name and address but from memory I think that it goes with the saftey assuance part.
Trading Standards can ask for my paper work proving that someone has tested the toys (in this case it's me). When I looked into selling cosmetics they had to have an EU Certificate of Safety. A Chilean one wasn't good enough, even though it was 90% word for word the same as the Spanish one.
I'm buying some toys from other English importers and some tell you the country they were made in and a lot don't.

So I think the answer is you don't have to have the country of origin on the label but anyone has to be able to find you to ask questions and you need paperwork to back up what you are saying. In my case I have my invoices.

And in my case I'm proud my toys were handmade in Chile or Peru and I do put my country of origin on my labels. (www.littlechile.co.uk )

[robin wood]

The law on "made in....." is pretty loose to be honest. I discovered this when working in the hosiery industry in Leicester 25 years ago. It was at the point where most of our clothing started to be imported. Now many folk import parts and continue manufacture in GB and so the law says if the goods go through a manufacturing or finishing process in England then they can be labeled "made in England". The problem is where do you draw the line?
In the hosiery industry I was told that sewing the "made in England" label in counted as a manufacturing process, it became meaningless. I just did a blog post looking at cricket balls which it seems are all imported now yet many are "finished" in England, which as far as I have been able to find out means stamping "made in England" on them and waxing them. http://greenwood-carving.blogspot.co...alls-made.html