KAMPALA: Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) has revealed a list of fake and dangerous products flooding the Ugandan market.
In a statement, UNBS said Cosmetics registered the highest failure rate of 100 percent, followed by anti-bacterial soap, energy saver bulbs, toilet paper, and mattresses.
At least 249 samples of products on the Ugandan Market failed the standards test in the month of July, according to the Uganda National Bureau of Standards-UNBS.
The cosmetics which failed contained hydroquinone, a banned substance used in skin lightening creams.
As a result, UNBS moved to seize some of the cosmetics from the shelves. Anti-bacterial toilet soap also registered the second highest failure rate at 71.4 per cent, followed by energy savers at 62.5 per cent and toilet paper at 55.5 per cent respectively.
Early this year UNBS seized 1.7 tonnes of assorted items of cosmetics worth sh300m belonging to Sure Deal Beauty Centre for illegally using the UNBS quality mark. The items included skin lightening cosmetics that contain hydroquinone, which various studies have confirmed to have adverse effects on human heath such as damage to internal organs like the liver.
UNBS Executive Director, Dr. Ben Manyindo, said: “We have published a list of brands that failed our compliance tests because we would like to encourage the public to look out for them and shun them while we continue to play our role of seizing them from the market to protect the health and safety of consumers”.
UNBS ED shows off fake products
“Products that fail our compliance tests are seized from the market, kept in our warehouses for further management and/or destruction. We recently destroyed more than 400 metric tonnes of substandard products worth Shs3.5 billion,” Dr. Manyindo said.
The brands that have failed the UNBS compliance tests include:
Local Cosmetics: Sure Deal; Hajjati Lususu; Mama Lususu; Serious Herbal; Skin Doctor; Zero Pimples; Zonei;
Imported Cosmetics: Caro light toning; Caro light body lotion; Caro light cream; Citrolight body cream; Eclaire cream; Elegance Rico cream; New Santana; Light Cream; Super Claire Cream; Elegance Rico cream;
Local Toilet Paper Local: Eden Brand; Cozy; Hemico; Kleena; Lovely; Luxury; Nannies; – Facial Tissue; Relax Blended Tissue; Silkee Jambo; Soft Nap; Softee Toilet Tissue; Super Silk; Swan Soft; Wisper; Kleena; Silkee Jambo; Softee Toilet Tissue; Luxury
Imported Toilet Paper: Piao; Piao Piao; Virony; Cosy White; Rosy; Sifa; Tena; Soft Wind Piao Piao.
Mattresses Local: Eco Foam; Rio Foam. Energy Savers (Bulbs)
Imported Mattresses: Canny; CIXING; DXBZ; Long stay; Nomi; Semco; Tedex; UNITEC; and Val Light.
As a result of the laboratory analysis, in July the UNBS Market Surveillance Team seized items 6.2 tones of assorted food items, 1.2 tones of Cosmetics, 2,051 pieces of mattresses, 410 Kgs of electrical items, and 450 kgs of toilet paper.
UNBS will continue to perform its mandate of enforcing standards to protect consumer health and safety and the environment against dangerous and sub-standard products.
Fighting substandard products requires a concerted effort involving UNBS working together with manufacturers, traders, consumers, and other government agencies.
Below is the UNBS press statement;
Media Release_Compliance_August 2018_Final
